Ralf Schumacher, who won all six of his F1 victories with the British team, thinks the problem at Williams could be its management.
He told Germany's motorsport-total.com that the struggling Oxfordshire based outfit is currently being run with "fear and terror".
Schumacher, 43, said it was the same as when Sir Frank Williams ran the team alone in the 70s.
"Williams has a very special leadership style. As long as Patrick Head was there it was balanced," he said.
"It's a style of leadership from the 70s and 80s, a bit of a reign of fear and terror. It's a shame, because I think people need to be motivated."
Head, though, has long retired, and the team is now run by Sir Frank's daughter Claire.
"With the current structure, Williams cannot get the best out of its employees, because there is no team cohesion," Schumacher said. "The engineers are working against each other more than with each other.
"Unfortunately, Claire has kept her father's habits, and she should certainly wonder if that is the right job for her. Perhaps Williams' team management needs to be restructured," he added.
"A man (Paddy Lowe) who has just been fired was very successful at other teams, and even he failed to put Williams back on track. That's enough to start asking questions," said Ralf.
