How can the later Shafi'is and Malikis be generally attributed to Ash'arism, given the existence of examples of Shafi'i figures committed to the methodology of the Salaf?

Ash-Shafi'i was Salafi in belief, and he established his major principle: "If a hadith is authentic, then that is my madhhab." It is incumbent upon anyone who attributes themselves to his madhhab in the subsidiary issues to be Shafi'i in the fundamental principles. Although Ash'ari's madhhab spread during an intermediate phase of his life, despite his later recantation, many late Shafi'is and Malikis followed this madhhab. Nevertheless, among the Shafi'is and Malikis, there were those who championed the Sunnah, such as Imam An-Nawawi and Ibn Hajar, whose statements regarding issues of faith and predestination aligned with the madhhab of the People of Hadith, and like Ibn Abi Zayd and Ibn Abd al-Barr from the Malikis. Therefore, there is no impediment for a person to adhere to one of the four madhhabs while being keen to follow the evidence in subsidiary issues, and to be Salafi in belief.