Lewis Hamilton stated that quitting the use of Ferrari’s simulator was one of the most important decisions of his Formula 1 season. According to the seven-time world champion, the change had a direct impact on improving his performance in the last races.
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The Brit stopped using the Maranello simulator before the Canadian GP, understanding that the correlation between virtual data and the car’s behavior on the track was not accurate enough to help him prepare. When asked if he had returned to using the tool since then, he answered directly: “No.” When asked about the effect of this decision, he smiled before summarizing: “Huge.”
Hamilton explained that his relationship with simulators has changed throughout his career. “I used it all last year, but as I said, in my early years at Mercedes I didn’t use it. Then there was a period when we also stopped using it. They can be very powerful tools, but they can also mislead you,” he said. The driver highlighted that he experienced a similar situation at Mercedes and concluded: “Since I stopped using it, my performance has improved a lot, a lot.”
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Despite Charles Leclerc’s victory at the British GP, Hamilton believes Ferrari will face a bigger challenge at Spa-Francorchamps. For him, the long straights of the Belgian circuit may favor the rivals. “We arrived here not knowing exactly what to expect. This track has many more straights and probably the difference will be a bit bigger, but we are doing everything we can,” he said.
Even anticipating difficulties, Hamilton praised Ferrari’s work on car development. “I am very proud of the team. They keep pushing to optimize the car. Instead of waiting months for an update, we are making small adjustments practically every weekend, always improving a bit when we find an opportunity,” he concluded.
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