Lewis Hamilton to avoid simulator ahead of Canadian Grand Prix

Lewis Hamilton has revealed he will steer clear of Ferrari’s simulator in the build-up to the Canadian Grand Prix after claiming it provided misleading data ahead of the Miami weekend.

The seven-time world champion endured a difficult event in Florida, finishing seventh in the sprint race and sixth in the grand prix. 

His main race was further compromised after damage sustained in a first-lap collision with Franco Colapinto, which severely affected his performance.

Simulators are widely used in Formula 1 to help drivers refine car setup choices before arriving at a circuit.

However, Hamilton believes the lack of correlation between virtual and real-world performance has become a concern.

“I’m going to have a different approach in the next race because the way we’re preparing at the moment is not helping,” Hamilton said.

“Ultimately it’s always correlation, but we go on it and then we get to the track and the car feels different when it gets on track.”

The 40-year-old, who joined Ferrari this season, suggested he would instead prioritise direct discussions with engineers at the team’s Maranello factory.

“You know I don’t like simulators in general… you go on it, you prepare for the track, you drive it and then you come to the track and that set-up doesn’t work,” he explained.

Hamilton added that Ferrari may need to rethink its weekend preparation approach: “In an ideal world I should have started where Charles [Leclerc] was in P1 and we would have just had a stronger weekend.”

Despite his concerns, Hamilton has a strong record in Canada with seven victories in Montreal, although he admits Ferrari may struggle on the circuit’s long straights due to a drag deficit.