Hamilton Ditches Ferrari Simulator, Credits the Move for Recent Surge and Predicts Wider Gap at Spa

Ahead of the Canadian Grand Prix in May, seven-time world champion Lewis Hamilton announced he would stop using Ferrari’s Formula 1 simulator in Maranello, saying the correlation with on-track performance was insufficient. Since that decision, Hamilton has outscored every driver on the grid, amassing 96 points compared with Kimi Antonelli’s 79, George Russell’s 74 and Charles Leclerc’s 49. Heading into the Belgian Grand Prix at Spa-Francorchamps, Hamilton warned that Ferrari’s SF-26 will likely trail Mercedes by “well over a couple of tenths,” citing the circuit’s abundance of long straights.

Lewis Hamilton still avoiding Ferrari’s F1 sim: ‘It’s helped me massively’

Hamilton explained that his simulator hiatus was driven by a belief that the tool could mislead drivers. He emphasized that his performance improved markedly after abandoning the Ferrari system and praised Mercedes for delivering weekly incremental upgrades rather than infrequent major parts. Regarding the upcoming Spa race, Hamilton reiterated that the track’s layout favors straight-line power, which he expects will widen the gap between Mercedes and Ferrari.

Lewis Hamilton still avoiding Ferrari’s F1 sim: ‘It’s helped me massively’

• “I've been driving simulators since 1997 and they can be really powerful and really useful tools, but they can also mislead you.” — Lewis Hamilton, Formula 1 driver

Lewis Hamilton still avoiding Ferrari’s F1 sim: ‘It’s helped me massively’

• “No.” — Lewis Hamilton, in response to whether he has used the Ferrari simulator since Canada

Lewis Hamilton still avoiding Ferrari’s F1 sim: ‘It’s helped me massively’

• “So I think there still was a gap of maybe three or four tenths, maybe, in the last race. So here we're probably anticipating it probably will be a bit more. But we're doing everything we can.” — Lewis Hamilton, interview with GPblog

Hamilton believes gap to Mercedes more than couple of tenths

• “In terms of just upgrades, I'm so proud of the team, 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.” — Lewis Hamilton, interview with Motorsport.com

Lewis Hamilton still avoiding Ferrari’s F1 sim: ‘It’s helped me massively’

Hamilton’s confidence in Mercedes’ development rhythm and his skepticism toward Ferrari’s simulation data suggest a strategic focus on real-world testing and continuous car refinement. As Spa approaches, the expectation of a larger performance gap underscores the importance of straight-line power on the Belgian circuit, setting the stage for a potentially decisive showdown between the two leading teams.

Hamilton believes gap to Mercedes more than couple of tenths