During the Miami weekend, Lewis Hamilton made several interesting comments regarding Ferrari. Some of them, especially those related to the front wing, were already discussed from a technical perspective regarding the SF-26 front wing. But after qualifying, the British driver also spoke about the work carried out in the simulator, commenting very precisely on a subject that often remains outside the spotlight.
Lewis Hamilton’s simulator problems with Ferrari
“To be honest, I think the simulator has led me in the wrong direction,” the British driver explained before adding: “I think I can rule it out for now and do a race without it.”
Nowadays the simulator is an extremely powerful and highly realistic tool. It reproduces every aspect of the car and is very useful in preparing for on-track sessions.
For this reason, teams usually schedule at least one preparation day before an event and one post-race analysis session. The first is used to get ahead with the work as much as possible, while the second is useful to “fine-tune” things. In practice, teams look for the small differences between the simulator car model and the actual behavior of the car on track. Every small detail can make a difference. The seven-time world champion only briefly touched on the subject, but he raised important points. It should be remembered that Ferrari carried out a test at Monza to evaluate the new upgrade package and gather aerodynamic load data useful for updating the SF-26 model.
Lewis Hamilton reflected precisely on this aspect.
Ferrari needs better correlation to be prepared
“In the end, it’s always about correlation. We work on it and then we arrive at the track and sometimes the car behaves differently once you get there.”
In practice, there are situations where setups are prepared for a specific circuit and then simply do not work properly once the car hits the track. That is also why understanding a car at a particular circuit is often not easy, forcing teams to chase solutions during the sessions.
This is also why Frederic Vasseur had pointed out how important the execution of every single run was in order to extract the full potential of the car. Ferrari therefore needs to take a step back and refine its simulator model, otherwise there is a risk of effectively preparing a different car from the one that actually appears on track. Although the tools used by Formula 1 teams are similar, the real difference comes from the correlation between the simulation environment and reality.
Lewis Hamilton should be listened to more carefully
The British driver also added: “I’ll have a different approach at the next race. The way we are preparing right now isn’t helping. So we’ll see what happens at the next race by doing things this way.”
These comments help paint a clearer picture. It is almost unthinkable in modern Formula 1 to prepare for a race weekend without using the simulator.
However, Lewis Hamilton appears to have already done so in China, which also happened to be his best race of the season so far. The British driver himself underlined this point: “I won’t go to the simulator between now and the next race. I’ll still attend the meetings at the factory.”
These are remarks that invite reflection, because according to the Stevenage-born driver, Ferrari’s current race preparation approach is simply not effective enough. It is not the first time Lewis Hamilton has criticized some of the team’s processes, and often his observations have proven accurate. These are not necessarily real mistakes, but his British-style approach, with a greater reshuffling of personnel and procedures, has previously helped improve this type of process.
The Briton has won multiple world championships and has a clear understanding of what is required to fight at the front in Formula 1. For that reason as well, it is only right that Ferrari listens carefully and takes inspiration from the experience and vision of Lewis Hamilton.
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