Hamilton: Ditching Ferrari sim has ‘massively’ helped performance

Lewis Hamilton believes one key decision has transformed his fortunes at Ferrari – and he has no intention of reversing course.

The seven-time Formula 1 world champion says walking away from Ferrari's simulator program has paid immediate dividends, insisting his performances have taken a significant step forward since he stopped relying on the Maranello-based tool before the Canadian Grand Prix.

Hamilton had grown increasingly frustrated with the sim’s correlation to the real car, feeling it was hindering rather than helping his race weekend preparations.

The results since making that call have strengthened his conviction, with the Briton enjoying a remarkable run of form that has seen him outscore every other driver on the grid over the same period.

Speaking ahead of this weekend's Belgian Grand Prix at Spa-Francorchamps, Hamilton revealed he has remained committed to his new approach.

Asked whether he had returned to the simulator since Canada, his answer was short and emphatic: “No."

When questioned about how much that decision had contributed to his recent performances, Hamilton left little room for doubt: “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,” he explained.

“I've been driving simulators since 1997 and they can be really powerful and really useful tools, but they can also mislead you.

“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.”

Ferrari braced for tougher test at Spa

Despite Ferrari arriving in Belgium buoyed by Charles Leclerc's victory at the British Grand Prix, Hamilton expects Spa's high-speed layout to present a sterner examination.

The Briton acknowledged that the Italian outfit exceeded expectations at Silverstone but warned that the long straights of Spa-Francorchamps could tilt the balance back toward rivals such as Mercedes.

"On this track, it's very difficult," Hamilton reckoned. "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 power, and it was quick through the corners, so it was far better than we anticipated."

While Ferrari heads into the weekend with cautious optimism, Hamilton admitted there are still unknowns.

"So, we come here again not really knowing what to expect, except for the track that is like 50% more straights,” he said.

“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. But we're doing everything we can."

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Even so, Hamilton praised Ferrari's relentless development effort, highlighting the team's commitment to constant refinement instead of waiting for major upgrade packages.

"In terms of just upgrades, I'm so proud of the team, they're just continuing to push to optimise the car,” he concluded.

“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."

As Ferrari prepares for one of the calendar's fastest circuits, Hamilton is convinced his own preparation method is finally working in his favor – even if he expects extracting a top result at Spa to require another flawless weekend.

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