Vasseur 'Very Pleased' with Hamilton's Melbourne Drive

Ferrari team boss Fred Vasseur was full of praise for Lewis Hamilton following the seven-time World Champion's impressive recovery drive to fourth place at the Australian Grand Prix. Despite qualifying seventh on Saturday, Hamilton delivered a standout performance on Sunday, nearly securing a podium spot before strategy decisions and track position saw him fall just short of teammate Charles Leclerc, who claimed P2.

Hamilton's race started explosively, with an electric launch that propelled him up the order. He briefly held third before being boxed in behind George Russell and later affected by strategy plays involving Kimi Antonelli, ultimately finishing behind Leclerc after running out of time to challenge for the podium.

"I'm very pleased with the performance of Lewis over the weekend," Vasseur said. "But I think we have to stop saying one weekend he's there, one weekend he's not there. It's a sport, sometimes we are doing a good session, sometimes not. Yesterday, the quali, honestly, as a team, I was disappointed. Today it was much better… It's part of the game."

This result marks a positive start to Hamilton's second season with Ferrari in 2026, contrasting with a challenging debut year where he struggled against Leclerc's pace, particularly in qualifying. While Hamilton notched a Sprint pole and win in China last year, he failed to secure a Grand Prix podium. Now, appearing more content and better suited to the evolved car regulations, Hamilton has described himself as being in "the best place" mentally ahead of the campaign.

Vasseur highlighted the team dynamic as a key strength: "It's good to have two cars fighting also at the top." He acknowledged Ferrari's packed development agenda, stating, "We know that we have a very long list of improvements. It's true for us, but it's true for everybody on the grid. But we have to work all together, to push all together. We know that we have tonnes of things to improve: the strategy, the engine, the chassis, the tyres, everything."

With both drivers performing well, Ferrari is poised to challenge Mercedes' dominance as the season progresses.