How Canadian GP made Lewis Hamilton believe he’s 'probably better without' Ferrari’s simulator?
Returning to the circuit where he claimed his maiden Formula 1 victory, Hamilton looked comfortable throughout the weekend and largely had the edge over team-mate Charles Leclerc. Although Leclerc finished ahead in the sprint race, Hamilton produced a strong drive in Sunday’s grand prix after starting fifth on the grid.
by Zee Media Bureau · Zee NewsLewis Hamilton believes skipping Ferrari’s simulator may have played a key role in delivering his strongest Formula 1 performance yet for the team after a difficult spell at the Scuderia. The seven-time world champion enjoyed an impressive weekend at the Canadian Grand Prix in Montreal, securing second place, his best grand prix finish since joining Ferrari, and a significant boost after months of frustration and speculation surrounding his future.
Returning to the circuit where he claimed his maiden Formula 1 victory, Hamilton looked comfortable throughout the weekend and largely had the edge over team-mate Charles Leclerc. Although Leclerc finished ahead in the sprint race, Hamilton produced a strong drive in Sunday’s grand prix after starting fifth on the grid.
He overtook McLaren’s Oscar Piastri on the opening lap before hunting down and passing Max Verstappen’s Red Bull late in the race to secure second place.
Hamilton described the weekend as one of the most enjoyable he has experienced since arriving at Ferrari.
“Yeah, I had so much fun out there all weekend,” he said after the race, adding, “Every single lap. I felt like we started on the right foot, came with the right attitude, and the car really generally felt great.”
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The British driver admitted the result carried extra meaning after a challenging start to life at Ferrari. “And so, to come to Montreal, a track that I do love, and get to enjoy a sprint weekend here, which is the first that we've had [here], was awesome. And this is my first second place with the team. It's something I've been working so hard [for], I can't even begin to explain how deep I've had to dig to be able to get to this point, and the work and moving mountains in the background to enable this sort of performance," he said.
Hamilton also praised Ferrari for standing by him during the difficult period.
“But I'm really grateful to the team for continuing to hold me up high and support me weekend in, weekend out,” he said, adding, “It was awesome, absolutely awesome to fight with one of the greats [Verstappen]. It was massively challenging.”
Ahead of the Canadian Grand Prix, Hamilton revealed he had decided against preparing in Ferrari’s simulator at Maranello, believing it had not accurately reflected real track conditions during the season.
Instead, he focused on analysing data, the same approach he used in China, where he previously recorded his best Ferrari result and sprint race victory.
Following another strong performance in Montreal, Hamilton suggested he may continue avoiding the simulator for race preparation.
"I’m sure I would drive it at some point," he said. "I think what could be good is, for example, going back and doing correlation to this weekend, so we can find out where it’s missing."
"It’s only Charles and me who get to drive the car. So, the positive of something like being able to drive the real car, go back and say, 'This is actually what it feels like. These are the things that we’re missing,' and so that we can improve it."
Hamilton stressed he remains committed to helping Ferrari improve the simulator but admitted he no longer sees it as essential to his race preparation.
“Now, whether or not I use it to prepare for another race? Probably not,” he said, adding, “There are just too many risks. If you look at the two best races I’ve had, I didn’t use a simulator. And that’s honestly how it was. Pretty much all the championships before, except for probably 2008, I didn’t use the sim. So it’s not a necessity. It’s a tool that can be powerful.”