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Lewis Hamilton finally claimed his first Ferrari win in Barcelona, but Fred Vasseur has warned the team that they cannot get carried away with the victory.
The seven-time champion claimed his 106th career win and his first since Spa in 2024 at the Barcelona-Catalunya Grand Prix. With championship leader Kimi Antonelli retiring, Hamilton is now 41 points behind the Mercedes driver.
Hamilton is now the sixth-oldest F1 winner after clinching his maiden victory in the red of Ferrari. His three-stop strategy worked a treat, and the team’s upgrades gave them the pace to challenge and ultimately beat Mercedes.
Lewis Hamilton wins his first race with Ferrari! 🎉 Where does this rank in Hamilton’s most satisfying wins?
Fred Vasseur says Ferrari will make a ‘huge mistake’ if they get carried away with Lewis Hamilton’s Barcelona win
Every team in the paddock applauded Hamilton following his win. It symbolised the end of his struggles with Ferrari and dispelled any doubts about his ability.
Max Verstappen congratulated Hamilton on his victory, but no one was prouder than Ferrari team principal Fred Vasseur. Speaking to F1 TV after the race, the Frenchman lauded his driver’s ‘outstanding’ display.
“Yeah, it’s a good feeling,” said Vasseur. “We had one year and a half with ups and downs.
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“And to win today, and on the top of it, to have the race in control, because I think he was able to fight yesterday for the pole.
“And today he was managing the situation very well. As soon as we were adjusting the strategy, he was pushing more or less, and he was very outstanding today.”
Hamilton has had a change of approach in Maranello and seems to be getting the best out of the car. In fact, Nico Rosberg thinks Hamilton has ‘dethroned’ Charles Leclerc as ‘the king of Ferrari’.
But Vasseur does not see any difference from the Brit, and he has warned the team not to get carried away. He says they cannot think like they are ‘world champions’, and the approach in Barcelona must be the same as the next race in Austria.
Your championship standings after the Barcelona GP. How worried should Kimi Antonelli be about Lewis Hamilton?
Asked if he has noticed a difference in Hamilton, Vasseur said: “Honestly, honestly not. I think that the approach of Lewis was consistent from the beginning.
“He’s fully committed, fully convinced and he’s pushing everybody, and we need to have this kind of energy, and it’s paying off today.
“But we also have to stay calm. It’s not that last week we were unaware, and today we are world champion. It will be a huge mistake. It means that we need to keep Austria exactly with the same approach as Barcelona and it’s what we will do.”
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