'Lewis Hamilton is back' Ferrari boss delivers bold US GP statement

Ferrari F1 team principal Fred Vasseur has declared that Lewis Hamilton ‘is back’ after his performance at the United States Grand Prix.

The team returned to the podium in Austin, after executing the perfect strategy with Charles Leclerc at the start of the race on the soft tyres, which allowed him to get ahead of Lando Norris.

While the Brit eventually reclaimed the position from Leclerc, he still finished third and ahead of team-mate Hamilton in fourth.

A Ferrari grand prix podium still eludes Hamilton, but the seven-time champion decided to reflect positively on the US GP, where he was encouraged with the progress the team demonstrated.

Vasseur mirrored Hamilton’s sentiments, and even though the Brit did not claim a podium, he declared that his driver was 'back'.

Is the Hamilton of old back?

Speaking to Sky Sports Germany after the US Grand Prix, Vasseur said: "It's good for the team because we need to have this kind of emulation for everybody.

"You need to have two cars. For us it's important, and if we want to maximise the number of points that we'll score until the end, we have to score with two cars for sure.

"And Lewis is back. Two thirds of the weekend he was faster than Charles this weekend. It's good for the team and the emulation. We had a very difficult Friday and a good recovery all over the weekend.

"The pace today was decent. We were aggressive on the strategy and in the end it paid off, but it was quite brave from Charles and the team. But I think it's good for us to have this kind of result and to attack Mexico in a much better shape."

Hamilton has five rounds left to claim his first F1 podium with Ferrari, and avoid 2025 becoming his first season in the sport not to feature a grand prix podium.

F1 HEADLINES: Late FIA penalty announced as McLaren disqualification decision made

READ MORE: FIA announce Red Bull punishment after bizarre US GP breach

READ MORE: FIA announce F1 race winner handed LATE penalty after US Grand Prix

READ MORE: Kravitz reveals what Norris's McLaren penalty could be after Red Bull enquiry

Related