David Coulthard questions timing of Ferrari's Michael Schumacher tribute amid distraction concerns

David Coulthard has questioned whether Ferrari’s Michael Schumacher tribute at Monza could serve as a distraction from the team orders discussions

Ferrari arrives at its home race at Monza carrying a Michael Schumacher tribute on its livery and race suits, which has become a talking point on a recent episode of the Up To Speed podcast.

While former F1 TV pundit Will Buxton argued the tribute could inspire the team, former driver David Coulthard questioned whether it could be a distraction technique for the Maranello outfit.

"I think that they hesitate too often, and again, it's easy to criticise, and of course they would push back on us by going, 'You don't have all the information.' But what we do have is the retrospective examples of the hesitancy, which has led to the opinion that they hesitate," Coulthard explained in reference to Ferrari's team orders debacle at the Dutch Grand Prix.

The former Red Bull driver claimed the Schumacher tribute could be a way to change the current topic of conversation around the team, moving it away from team orders and calls for the outfit to back a number one driver.

"It's almost like a slight distraction technique this week, celebrating the greatness of Michael Schumacher and his successes. Given that he ended up at Mercedes and they're having a strong year, it's almost like, is this the moment to pull out the celebration of Michael? Is this not really the moment to try and win the Monza Grand Prix?"

Michael Schumacher, Ferrari

Photo by: LAT Images via Getty Images

Buxton pointed to the 30th anniversary of Schumacher's first race for Ferrari in 1996.

"It's 30 years since he first raced for Ferrari back in '96, so I get it. And it's a lovely thing to do. Is it a distraction? I don't know. I always like a throwback. I love a throwback livery," Buxton responded.

"I love paying respect to people who've done great things, and Michael's period there was so impressive and changed the course of Ferrari's history, because don't forget when Michael arrived there in '96 Ferrari hadn't won a driver's title since 1979.

"It had been a long, long time. Maybe they need a bit of inspiration from what Michael started to create in '96."

He added: "Maybe bringing that livery back and showing respect for what Michael created, maybe it gives them the inspiration to find that again."