Vasseur downplays Hamilton's performance: 'Up front is easier'

''I don't want to be negative, but it's much easier when you are in front to manage properly the tyres. I think he did very well. At the beginning, Verstappen was pushing much more near his speed and he let him come back a little bit. When Piastri was pushing behind, he managed very wel.''

Hamilton takes first win for Ferrari

''It's true that it's important to have a good qualY this afternoon for the race tomorrow. We can make a comparison with Charles. Charles was a bit struggling into the race because he was in the pack, then he let Russell go, he was able to come back, but as soon as you are in the dirty air, you struggle to overtake, it's much more difficult to manage [your tyres].''

''The qualy this afternoon will be crucial for tomorrow, but we were in a good shape yesterday [Friday] with the soft, but we have to keep in mind that it will be a different story, I think the track is improving massively also, and today compared to yesterday it will be a different story.''

In addition, Vasseur did not yet want to get into the polonaise after the sprint race he won. Vasseur reminded people that Ferrari was still 'nowhere' in Australia. ''We have to stay calm. It's not because we did a good Saturday that we are world champions,'' Vasseur concluded with wise words.

This article was written in collaboration with Tim Kraaij.