Vasseur full of praise for Hamilton in Austin: 'Strong all weekend'

Ferrari team principal Frederic Vasseur had plenty of positive words for Lewis Hamilton and his pace at the United States Grand Prix after a "very strong" weekend.

The seven-time world champion is still searching for his debut podium during a Grand Prix for the Scuderia in his first season since moving from Mercedes.

Currently, the 40-year-old sits P6 in the drivers' championship with 142 points, 50 points behind teammate Charles Leclerc with just five races remaining in 2025.

However, Vasseur noted plenty of positives to take forward to the Mexico City Grand Prix after Hamilton finished just off the podium in P4, citing a well-rounded weekend for the Brit in Austin.

Lewis Hamilton in action at the United States Grand Prix - Photo: Race Pictures

"I would say that he had a very strong pace from the beginning of the weekend, except for Q3, perhaps there is Q3," Vasseur stated to GPblog and others in Austin.

"But the pace was there from the beginning. The pace was there the last couple of weekends; that's the first time that we are doing a decent weekend, putting everything together without mistakes.

Even though there were some struggles from Hamilton on the soft tyre stint in Austin, Vasseur believed there were plenty of positives to take from Hamilton's P4 finish.

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"It was a challenge for everybody. If you have looked, he had to push to slow down. They went for quite a long stint on the soft, and we didn't know if we were able to go to the end.

"We didn't have any long stints on the softs at all. It meant that we didn't have the right prediction, and he was a bit conservative at one stage of the race.

"But then, when he pushed at the end, the pace was back," concluded the Frenchman.

Just ten points separate Mercedes, Ferrari and Red Bull in the constructors' standings with just five races remaining, with the German team seven points clear of the Scuderia in P2.

After a positive weekend in Austin that saw Ferrari outscore their rivals and bring themselves right back into the fight, Vasseur confidently said his team can seal P2 in the standings.

However, for that to happen, Hamilton has defined two clear goals to help his team find "consistency" as they bid to end a difficult 2025 season on a high note.

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