How much is Lewis Hamilton’s Grand Prix victory worth? Here’s what Fred Vasseur has to say

Lewis Hamilton’s victory in Barcelona took most commentators and experts by surprise. Before the race, the eyes of F1 observers had been fixed primarily on the Mercedes duo. After all, George Russell had secured pole position, giving him the best starting spot. And right behind him, his team-mate Kimi Antonelli was lying in wait for his chance to extend his winning streak to six races.

In the end, however, it was the veteran champion Hamilton who crossed the finish line first. Antonelli was plagued by technical problems and retired shortly before the chequered flag was waved. Russell, who had been overtaken by his team-mate shortly before the teenager’s retirement, had to settle for second place.

For the Tifosi, the seven-time champion’s first GP victory for the Scuderia from Maranello was a very special triumph. And the excitement went to some people’s heads, for no sooner had the drivers crossed the line than discussions were already underway about Hamilton’s chances of securing an eighth world championship title, which would make him the sole record holder.

No thought of the World Championship title race

Yet, despite the festive mood, team principal Fred Vasseur was not prepared to discuss the 41-year-old’s title chances. He waved the question away: “I don’t know if I want to answer that question. Two weeks ago, people were probably still saying it was all a disaster, and now they’re already discussing the World Championship. That would be the worst thing I could do right now.”

And the French engineer made it clear: “We’ll be travelling to Austria with exactly the same mindset as we had when we set to work in Barcelona. We won’t be thinking about the title; we never do. I’ll try to keep getting all the little details right, squeeze out even more performance wherever possible, and take one small step at a time. Let’s celebrate this victory and enjoy it, and when we travel to Spielberg, we’ll proceed as we always do.”

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And Vasseur added with satisfaction: “We were able to fight for pole position with both cars, and I think that’s good progress. But I don’t think it will depend so much this season on how good the car is in Barcelona – that’s always been a good indicator over the past 25 years. This time, however, it will come down to driving development forward better than our rivals. That’s the key factor that will be decisive in the World Championship.”