According to Ferrari Team Principal Frederic Vasseur, Lewis Hamilton’s victory in Barcelona marks a fresh start for the driver
Ferrari team principal Frederic Vasseur sees Lewis Hamilton’s victory at the Barcelona-Catalonia Grand Prix as a fresh start for the Ferrari driver. The most successful Formula 1 driver of all time secured his 106th Grand Prix victory in Spain.
“To be honest, I always try to tone down the comments, both good and bad,” he said after the race.
“It’s not as if we were nowhere to be found two weeks ago, and it’s not as if we became world champions today. Lewis is a little emotional, the team is emotional, and it’s my job to try to calm everyone down a bit in situations like this.”
“But,” Vasseur emphasizes, “this is certainly a huge confidence boost for him today and this weekend. It will be a fresh start for him.”
The team principal doesn’t see any major strategic changes compared to past races. “The most important thing is that you have pace. Then you can do three stops, two stops, or four stops. If you have the pace, you win the race.”
“Sometimes we didn’t have the pace, and our strategy seemed a bit conservative. But I think today, Lewis’s pace and management were the most important factors. Because every time we tweaked the approach a little, he was able to adapt his pace to the strategy and delivered a perfect job.”
Hamilton was able to prevail with his three-stop strategy against George Russell and Lando Norris, who were both on two-stop strategies.
Kimi Antonelli, also on a two-stop strategy, had to retire from the race shortly before the end due to a technical issue. Hamilton had previously managed to move past both Mercedes cars during a VSC phase and subsequently build a comfortable lead.
According to Vasseur, the team won’t be adjusting this strategic approach for upcoming races. The team principal also emphasized: “It’s a relief, because Lewis has been here for a year and a half, and it’s been really tough for him so far.”
“He’s had to put up with a lot of negative comments,” said Vasseur. “And honestly, sometimes he didn’t deserve that. But I’m very happy for him, and even more so for the effort he’s put into this project.”
“And I’m also relieved for the guys back home. It’s even harder to really push when you’re not winning, but they keep pushing [anyway]. Getting this package to Barcelona was a challenge, but they pulled it off.”
At the Barcelona-Catalonia Grand Prix, Ferrari brought a major upgrade package. As a result, Hamilton was already close to the pace of the Mercedes in qualifying and was even able to beat Antonelli in the battle for the front row. The only downside was Charles Leclerc’s crash in Q3.
