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Motorsport

Lewis Hamilton: US GP confirmed “there’s still more potential to unlock in the SF-25”

Lewis Hamilton Charles Leclerc Ferrari Fred Vasseur Mercedes Red Bull

Lewis Hamilton believes the United States Grand Prix confirmed “there’s still more potential to unlock in the SF-25” after he and his Ferrari team-mate Charles Leclerc secured a third and fourth-place finishes in the race at the Circuit of The Americas.

In addition to the 27 points the duo picked up in the grand prix, they collected nine points in the sprint race on Saturday after finishing in fourth and fifth.

“It’s been a productive Sunday overall. Today’s race was a strong result for the team and we gained some good points,” the seven-time champion reflected. “My first stint was encouraging, and I was in the fight for third, but after my pitstop the gap to the top three became too difficult to close.

“As a whole, the weekend has been a positive one. It showed the progress we’re making as a team and confirmed there’s still more potential to unlock in the SF-25. Thank you to all the fans here, who brought incredible energy all weekend.”

After joining the Maranello outfit at the start of the season following a 12-year stint with Mercedes, Hamilton has taken some time to adjust to the new team. But after struggling at times to get to grips with the new car and team, Ferrari team chief Fred Vasseur believes that “Lewis is back”.

Charles Leclerc, Ferrari, Lewis Hamilton, Ferrari (Photo by: Simon Galloway / LAT Images via Getty Images)

"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," Vasseur told Sky Sports Germany. "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."

Ferrari is currently fighting for second in the constructors' championship against Mercedes and Red Bull after McLaren secured the title in Singapore. As it heads to Mexico City for the Mexican Grand Prix, the Vasseur-led team sits in third, seven points behind Mercedes in second and just three points ahead of Red Bull in fourth.