Hamilton delivered a standout performance at the Spanish Grand Prix, executing an aggressive three-stop strategy to secure victory ahead of his Mercedes rivals at the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya. Ferrari also capitalised on a late Virtual Safety Car period, helping the seven-time world champion claim his maiden win in red.
The result marked the first race this season not won by Mercedes and significantly reduced Hamilton’s deficit to championship leader Kimi Antonelli. With Antonelli retiring from the race, Hamilton slashed the gap from 66 points to 41, prompting fresh discussions about a potential title challenge.
However, Vasseur was quick to play down the growing hype, stressing that one victory had not fundamentally altered Ferrari’s situation.
“Nothing changed today compared to last week [in Monaco]. The result is different; the outcome of the race is different,” Vasseur said after the race.
“The commitment of the guys in the garage, in Maranello, from Lewis, from Charles [Leclerc] – it didn’t change compared to last week. We have to stay calm with this. It’s not that today racing is magic and last week it was not, but I think we are into the collaboration, we are improving.”
The Frenchman pointed to the increasingly competitive nature of Formula One, where fractions of a second can dramatically affect results.
“We know each other, at Ferrari, Lewis, we know each other a bit more each day, and it’s all a matter of details at the end of the day,” he explained.
“For, I think, one tenth in Q2, we had six or seven cars. It means that sometimes small details can make a huge difference in terms of position.”
Vasseur also highlighted the importance of track position in modern Formula One, noting that drivers often struggle when unable to run in clean air.
“We saw [in the race] that track position is very important. As soon as you are not in clean air, you are struggling,” he said.
While acknowledging the significance of the Barcelona triumph, Vasseur described it as a reward for the collective effort of the team rather than evidence of a dramatic shift in the competitive order.
“I’m taking it as a mega good result, mega positive result. It’s a good reward for everybody, for Lewis, for the team in Maranello, for the team at the track, but it’s not that the situation is completely different compared to last week.”
Ferrari’s recent performances have shown encouraging signs. The team was competitive in Canada and Monaco before taking another step forward in Spain, where both Hamilton and teammate Charles Leclerc demonstrated strong pace throughout the weekend.
According to Vasseur, Ferrari’s progress is the result of steady development rather than a single breakthrough.
“What is good is that we are going I think in the right direction. We had a good weekend in Canada, a good one in Monaco. This weekend the pace was good from the beginning,” he said.
“We were able to fight with the two cars for the pole position. I think it’s a good step forward.”
Looking ahead, Vasseur believes the outcome of the championship will depend less on current form and more on which teams can continue to develop their cars over the course of the season.
“I think what is important is that this season, the championship will be based on the capacity of the team to develop, not on the picture of Barcelona,” he stated.
“Usually, for the last 25 years, we were used to saying that a good car in Barcelona will dominate the season, but I think this season will be much more based on the capacity of all the teams to bring performance to the car.”
The Ferrari boss revealed that the team introduced upgrades in Spain and expects further improvements in the coming races.
“I think we brought something this weekend, the others didn’t. We will probably bring something in the UK, I don’t know. We will bring something soon. It will be all capacity and the capacity of the team to develop.”
Despite Hamilton’s resurgence and the narrowing championship gap, Vasseur refused to be drawn into conversations about an eighth world title for the British driver.
“I’m not sure that I want to reply to this kind of question,” he said.
“I had probably some comments two weeks ago that everything was a disaster, and now we are speaking about the World Championship. This is the worst approach that I could have.”
Instead, the Ferrari chief reiterated his commitment to focusing on one race at a time, beginning with the upcoming Austrian Grand Prix.
“The approach is to go to Austria exactly with the same approach that we had in Barcelona, and not to think about the championship or to project yourself with 25 more wins. I will never do it.”
Summing up Ferrari’s mindset, Vasseur added: “I won’t change the approach for the next one. I will try to continue to chase details, to bring performance everywhere and to do small step by small step. Let’s celebrate this one, let’s enjoy, and we will be back next week in Austria with the same impressions.”