After a “great” weekend: Hamilton ignores Ferrari simulator

– Lewis Hamilton has probably finally arrived after 17 turbulent months at Ferrari. And of all places, at the place where the Brit celebrated his very first Formula 1 victory. (To the Formula 1 database) With a 2nd place in Montreal, the record world champion delivered his best result so far in the red car. In the process, the Brit completely refused the Ferrari simulator during preparation.

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Even before the weekend in Canada, the seven-time world champion had revealed that he was skipping the virtual preparation in Maranello. He simply lacked the match between the simulator data and the real track reality.

Instead, he relied on a deep, old-fashioned data analysis. An approach that had already brought him his best Ferrari result to date in China (3rd place and a sprint win).

Radical judgment: Simulator as a risk

Hamilton now wants to consistently continue this old-school path. “I will definitely drive the simulator again at some point,” he admits, but sees the benefit more in error analysis for the engineers.

“For example, it would be good to retrospectively compare the Canada weekend to find out exactly where the problem lies. The test driver will always get in and claim everything is fine – but the guys only know what they know virtually because they don’t move the real car on the tracks.”

Only the race drivers could provide the valuable feedback: “Only Charles and I drive the real car. So it’s extremely positive when we get in the car and can then say: ‘This is how it really feels, these things are missing for us.’ Only in this way can we improve the system.”

Hamilton better without simulator?

However, his judgment for his own future race preparation is devastating: “I am always there to help the team and push development forward. But whether I use it to prepare for another race? Probably not. There are just too many risks. If you look at my two best races, I didn’t use a simulator. That’s the honest truth.”

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Hamilton recalls his glorious past: “In almost all my championship years, except maybe 2008, I didn’t touch the simulator. So it is not a necessity. It can be a powerful tool, but I am old school. Without it, I am probably better off.”

F1: Grand Prix of Canada (Montreal) 2026

That this approach was absolutely right in Montreal was shown on race day. Starting from 5th place, Hamilton plowed through the field, immediately took the McLaren of Oscar Piastri in the first lap, and in the final phase also overtook his old world championship rival Max Verstappen in the Red Bull to secure 2nd place. (To the race report) Only in the sprint did he have to yield to his teammate Charles Leclerc.

Beneficiary of circumstances with a strong race

“I just had an incredible amount of fun out there this weekend,” Hamilton beamed after crossing the finish line. “In every single lap. We got up on the right foot, had the right attitude, and the car generally felt fantastic. Coming here to Montreal, a track I love, and getting my first second-place finish with this team was just great.”

Admittedly: Hamilton massively benefited from George Russell’s retirement and the strategic blunder of both McLarens. Nevertheless: another podium means a lot to the 41-year-old after an extremely tough adjustment phase.

“I worked so hard for this. I can’t even put into words how deep I had to dig to get to this point. Behind the scenes, we had to move mountains to make this performance possible in the first place. I am incredibly grateful to the team for supporting me week after week.”

Especially the duel with Verstappen awakened old spirits in the seven-time champion: “It was absolutely brilliant to fight again with one of the greats. It was a huge challenge.”

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