Vasseur hails Hamilton’s Austin performance: ‘Lewis is back!’

Ferrari team principal Fred Vasseur had just three words in Austin to sum up Lewis Hamilton’s US Grand Prix weekend: “Lewis is back.”

After months of steady adaptation to life in red, Hamilton delivered one of his strongest performances since joining Ferrari, finishing fourth in both the Sprint and in Sunday’s Grand Prix at the Circuit of The Americas.

The Briton’s pace – particularly relative to teammate Charles Leclerc – caught the attention of his boss, who praised the seven-time world champion for finding his rhythm once again.

"It's good for the team because we need to have this kind of emulation for everybody,” Vasseur told Sky Sports Germany.

“You need to have two cars. For us it's important, and if we want to maximise the number of points that we'll score until the end, we have to score with two cars for sure.

"And Lewis is back. Two thirds of the weekend he was faster than Charles this weekend. It's good for the team and the emulation."

Ferrari Finds Its Groove Again

While Leclerc bagged a podium with a gritty drive to third in Sunday’s race – and fifth in Saturday’s Sprint – the combined haul helped Ferrari shrink the gap to Mercedes to just seven points in the Constructors’ standings.

For a team that’s been hunting consistency, Austin marked a welcome turn of form. Vasseur praised his drivers and the team’s strategy calls, admitting that the weekend didn’t start smoothly but ended on a high.

"We had a very difficult Friday and a good recovery all over the weekend," he added.

"The pace today was decent. We were aggressive on the strategy and in the end it paid off, but it was quite brave from Charles and the team.

“But I think it's good for us to have this kind of result and to attack Mexico in a much better shape."

Overcoming a Tough Friday

Vasseur also lifted the curtain on Ferrari’s struggles earlier in the weekend, revealing that tyre preparation issues hampered both qualifying sessions before the team turned things around.

"In the sprint the pace was OK, we were just stuck behind Carlos, but the pace was good. Quali was much more difficult,” he explained. “I think we struggled to put the tyres in the right window.

"If you compare between SQ3 and Q3, it was true for us and true for Mercedes. We did a huge step compared to McLaren and Red Bull. But I think it's like this from the beginning of the season.

“You always have a big swing of performance if you are able to get the best from the tyres or not. I think we did a much better job Saturday, Sunday than Friday.”

For Hamilton, Austin felt like a breakthrough – a weekend that finally hinted at comfort and confidence in his new environment. For Ferrari, it was a reminder that when both cars click, the Scuderia can go toe-to-toe with anyone.

Vasseur’s verdict was clear and simple. After months of bedding in, Lewis Hamilton is back, and Ferrari will be stronger for it.

Read also: Hamilton explains fears that marred final lap of US GP

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