09 October 2023 , 12:26
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Ralf Schumacher called upon Mercedes to "intervene now" after team-mate Lewis Hamilton and George Russell clashed at the Qatar Grand Prix.
The Brits lined up behind pole-sitter Max Verstappen on the grid with hopes of working together to reel in the Red Bull. But that plan was in tatters after just a few seconds when they made contact at the first corner.
Hamilton lost a wheel and was buried in the gravel, his race over. Russell was able to carry on but dropped to the back of the pack after pitting for a new front wing, able to recover impressively to fourth place.
Analysing the incident for Sky Germany, six time F1 race winner Schumacher said: "Lewis gives in too early, simply doesn't give George enough space. The Mercedes were strong, they threw away good points."
And the 48-year-old went on to suggest that the incident might be indicative of a deeper-lying issue between the Brits. He added: "There's a bit of work to be done between the two now. You can deal with each other either way, the team has to intervene now."
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Speaking on the English-language version of Sky's coverage, Hamilton's former team-mate Nico Rosberg was not so sure that the collision needed to be addressed. "There's not that much to discuss – it's relatively one-sided," he said.
"Lewis tried it on the outside because he had the soft tyres. He was very fast, had a lot of grip. But then he misjudged something, he pulled in a little too early. The mistake wasn't a big one, but it had big consequences. Of course, something like that shouldn't happen."
Though he appeared to point the finger at Russell with his first radio message after the clash, it wasn't long before Hamilton accepted the blame. "I'm really sorry to my team," he said. "The opportunity was there to get some good points. In the heat of the moment, I didn't really understand what had happened.
"I obviously felt the tap from behind but I don't think George had anywhere to go. It's just one of those really unfortunate situations. I'm happy to take responsibility. Everyone is working incredibly hard so it's massively gutting to have a result like this."
And the two drivers shared a brief embrace after the race, shown in footage shared on social media by the Mercedes team. In the clip, Hamilton approaches Russell and says: "Sorry about today, it wasn't your fault. Great job." They hug and give each other a couple of pats on the shoulder, before Russell finishes with a thumbs up.