Lewis Hamilton struck a notably relaxed and candid tone during Thursday’s Canadian Grand Prix press conference in Montreal, reflecting on both his deep personal connection to the circuit and some of the technical frustrations shaping his early Ferrari experience.
The seven-time Formula 1 world champion has enjoyed extraordinary success at the Circuit Gilles Villeneuve, where he has claimed seven of his 105 career victories, including the very first win of his Formula 1 journey back in 2007. Hamilton described the atmosphere in Montreal as electric and revealed that his mother would be joining him this weekend at a venue that holds special meaning for him.
He also shared an emotional off-track moment linked to Arsenal’s recent Premier League triumph, admitting that he was moved to tears. Hamilton recalled his childhood in Stevenage, where, as the only Black child in his neighbourhood, he tried to fit in by playing football with local friends before his sister encouraged him to become an Arsenal supporter.
But from a Formula 1 perspective, the biggest talking points centred on Ferrari’s competitiveness, the role of simulator preparation, and Lewis Hamilton’s long-term future in the sport.
Lewis Hamilton assesses Ferrari’s position against McLaren, Red Bull and Mercedes
When discussing Ferrari’s competitive position, Lewis Hamilton offered a realistic assessment of where the Scuderia currently stands against its main rivals.
“Obviously Mercedes are at the top, McLaren looked incredibly strong in the last race, and Red Bull made a huge step forward,” Lewis Hamilton explained.
Reflecting on the competitive order after Miami, he remained cautious about Ferrari’s true standing.
“I think we’re more or less in the slipstream of McLaren and Red Bull; we’ll see what the exact order is. Mercedes has a big upgrade this weekend and even without it they were extremely fast and won the last race. Our focus has to be entirely on ourselves and optimising the package we have.”
Why Lewis Hamilton skipped Ferrari’s simulator before Montreal
One of the most revealing parts of Hamilton’s media session was his explanation for choosing not to use Ferrari’s simulator ahead of the Canadian Grand Prix — a decision that goes against the routine followed by many modern Formula 1 drivers.
Despite praising Ferrari’s facilities, Lewis Hamilton admitted that simulator work can sometimes create more confusion than clarity.
“I didn’t use the simulator for this race. First of all, the tool we have is incredible and it’s the best environment I’ve ever seen, with an exceptional group of people. It’s a very powerful tool that we continue to develop,” he said.
“But with simulation, I feel like the reference points keep changing constantly.”
Hamilton then reflected on his long history with simulator technology, dating back to his McLaren days.
“I started driving the first simulator in 1997 at McLaren, where the cockpit didn’t move but we had force feedback on the steering wheel. Later I moved on to the first real generation in GP2 and at McLaren, but I never particularly liked it because the days were long and there were too many laps. At some point, when you do that many laps, you stop learning.”
He also questioned how often simulator setups truly match real-world conditions: “When I joined Mercedes, they were quite far behind with the simulator, and during the championship years I barely used it except occasionally. We started using it more in 2020 or 2021,” Lewis Hamilton explained.
“But in 20 years, there’s only been one time when the simulator setup exactly matched the qualifying setup that took pole position — Singapore in 2012. Every other time, it’s never been perfect. In the last year I was using it every week, but you’d do all that work, arrive at the track, and everything would be the opposite, forcing you to throw away what you had learned.”
Instead of simulator work, the Briton focused on direct engineering analysis: “Since sometimes it works and sometimes it doesn’t, I decided to skip this session and focus more on the data — looking deeply at mid-corner balance, mechanical balance, corner approach, and brake balance optimisation, which has been an issue for me for quite some time. That created excellent integration with my engineers. I’m not saying I’ll never use it again — we’ll still use it, especially for power deployment.”
Hamilton dismisses retirement speculation
Hamilton also took the opportunity to firmly shut down renewed speculation about retirement: “I still have a contract, so for me everything is 100% clear. I’m focused, motivated, and I still love what I do with all my heart,” he said.
“I’ll be here for quite a long time, so people should get used to it. There are a lot of people trying to make me retire, but that’s not even in my thoughts. I’m already thinking about what comes next and planning the next five years. I intend to keep racing for a long time.”
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