Lewis Hamilton refuses Ferrari’s F1 simulator: ‘It’s helped me massively’

Lewis Hamilton has doubled down on his decision to skip Ferrari’s Formula 1 simulator: and insists it’s made him faster on track.

Hamilton stopped using the simulator in Maranello ahead of the Canadian Grand Prix in mid-May because he felt the tool no longer matched real-world performance. Since then, the seven-time world champion has piled up 96 points, outscoring every rival including Mercedes teammate George Russell (74) and Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc (49).

What did Hamilton say about Ferrari’s simulator?

When asked by Motorsport if he’s used the simulator since Canada, Hamilton was blunt: “No.” He then added: “Massively. I tried all last year with it, but as I said, when I was at Mercedes for the first few years I didn’t use it. As it continued to develop, there was a point where we didn’t use it.”

Hamilton has raced simulators since 1997, but argues they can mislead drivers if the correlation with real cars isn’t tight. “They can be really powerful and really useful tools, but they can also mislead you,” he said. “I found all last year particularly that was the case, and then in previous years when I was at Mercedes it was very similar, so that’s why I didn’t use it. Since I stopped, my performance has gone much, much better.”

How has Hamilton’s streak compared to rivals?

Since Canada, Hamilton’s 96 points top the grid, ahead of Kimi Antonelli’s 79 and Russell’s 74. Leclerc sits on 49 points, though both Ferrari drivers have faced their own setbacks this season. Hamilton’s run includes strong finishes despite Mercedes’ misfortune in reliability and strategy.

What’s next for Hamilton at Spa-Francorchamps?

Hamilton expects Ferrari to gain ground at Spa-Francorchamps, where Leclerc won the British Grand Prix on 7 July. “On this track, it’s very difficult,” Hamilton said. “This track is lots and lots of straights. We went to Silverstone and we thought that it was going to be much further down the order, the power, and it was quick through the corners, so it was far better than we anticipated.”

He added: “So we come here again not really knowing what to expect, except for the track that is 50% more straights. I think there still was a gap of maybe three or four tenths in the last race, so here we probably anticipate it will be a little bit more.”

How is Mercedes still improving the car?

Hamilton praised Mercedes’ relentless upgrades, calling them “so proud of the team.” He said: “They’re just continuing to push to optimise the car. We’re just making fine adjustments to it every week, which is great to see, rather than one upgrade coming several months later, another one’s coming every weekend, just improving little bits whenever we find something.”