Toto Wolff sent a message to the team principals’ WhatsApp group chat stating that Fred Vasseur ‘looked idiotic’, the Ferrari chief has revealed. The pair are extremely close friends and the Mercedes boss’ comments were meant as a light-hearted joke.

Ferrari enjoyed their strongest weekend of the season so far in Austin. All of the talk heading into the race was discussing the new upgrades for Red Bull and McLaren, but it was the Scuderia who took a step forward at the Circuit of the Americas.

After hounding Max Verstappen and Lando Norris in the sprint race, Ferrari quickly took control of the Grand Prix. Charles Leclerc surged from fourth to first in the opening two corners, and Carlos Sainz snatched P2 following a successful undercut on Red Bull’s star man.

Leclerc and Sainz eventually took the chequered flag to confirm a first one-two of the season for Ferrari, and with just 48 points separating them and Constructors’ Championship leaders McLaren, a first title since 2008 isn’t out of the question for F1’s oldest team.

In the aftermath of the United States GP, Vasseur and Wolff let on to a humorous exchange they enjoyed in the team principal’s WhatsApp chat. “He’s so good,” the Mercedes boss said in the press conference. “I said, I’m inspired by Fred and the Ferrari team and his performances. I really am.”

Vasseur then gave fans an insight into his friend and rival’s cheeky WhatsApp message, replying: “He told me for once you don’t look like an idiot or something like this in the WhatsApp [group chat], no?”

Wolff elaborated: “I said you still look idiotic, but you’re not idiotic! It’s so good how you recovered from before the summer to being right dominant now. We’re looking at it with admiration. I don’t want to give you a kiss then they would know!”

Vasseur has certainly inspired his drivers - Leclerc and Sainz left Austin believing that the Scuderia could jump two places and take the title this season. "That's the target," the latest race winner said.

"I just really hope that we're going to do that for the rest of the season and then hopefully we can win that Constructors' Championship. It's an optimistic target but I would rather see it that way than targeting anything else. We'll go for it and see where we end up at the end of the season."

Sainz added: "I think McLaren definitely have the upper hand with the points advantage, but, at the same time, we are not far enough from them for them to get comfortable, especially if we keep doing races like this."