Vasseur praises ‘very outstanding’ Hamilton for ‘pushing’ Ferrari to victory in Barcelona

Fred Vasseur has commended Lewis Hamilton for his brilliant victory in the Barcelona-Catalunya Grand Prix, with the Ferrari Team Principal praising the Briton’s extensive behind-the-scenes work to return to the top.

After narrowly missing out on pole position to Mercedes’ George Russell on Saturday, Hamilton worked with the team to execute a bold three-stop strategy. He followed up his second pit stop with rapid laps that closed the gap to Russell, before taking the race lead when the Mercedes man boxed again.

A golden opportunity then presented itself as the Virtual Safety Car was deployed while Fernando Alonso’s stranded Aston Martin was recovered, allowing Ferrari to box Hamilton for fresh rubber while the pack was slowed, and maintain first place.

“It’s a good feeling,” Vasseur told F1 TV as the team secured their first win since the 2024 Mexico City Grand Prix. “Today he was managing the situation very well – as soon as we were adjusting the strategy, he was pushing more or less. He was very outstanding today.

“I think that Lewis’ approach was consistent from the beginning. He is fully committed, fully convinced, and he is pushing everybody. We need to have this kind of energy and it’s paying off today.

“We also have to stay calm – it’s not like last week we were nowhere and today we are World Champions. That would be a huge mistake. It means that we need to keep the same approach in Austria as in Barcelona. It’s what we will do.”

Hamilton has publicly explained the adjustments made at Ferrari to help him improve, such as shuffling his squad of race engineers around and changing how he prepares for race weekends.

He was heard communicating with the team over the radio during the Grand Prix to ensure that their strategy worked, asking what lap times he needed to target in order to maintain a gap to their rivals at Mercedes.

Vasseur recognised that while the strategy was crucial, the win would not have been possible without their improved pace. He said: “The strategy went very well today but it also went very well in the last couple of events when the pace was a bit less impressive and it was more difficult.

“The confidence that we have between us on the pit wall and with the drivers is key. With strategy, you could make a mistake next week – it’s never a given. The fact that we have this level of confidence between us is key for the future.”

The result, combined with Kimi Antonelli’s retirement from the race, has seen Hamilton reduce the Italian’s advantage in the standings from 66 to 41 points as he brought an end to Mercedes’ six-race winning streak.

“Honestly, I’m trying to calm down bad comments and too enthusiastic comments,” Vasseur told Sky Sports F1 when asked if Hamilton is back to his best. “Lewis is a bit emotional, the team is emotional and my job is to try to calm down everybody in both situations. For sure, it’s a huge push in terms of confidence for him this weekend. It will be a new start.”