Lewis Hamilton reveals Ferrari simulator twist: “Leclerc followed my setup direction”. Lewis Hamilton explains how his setup choice helped Ferrari shine at Silverstone.

Lewis Hamilton has revealed an interesting behind-the-scenes story from Ferrari’s victorious weekend at Silverstone, explaining that he chose to ignore the setup direction suggested by the team’s simulator and instead relied on his own experience of the iconic British circuit. According to the seven-time world champion, Charles Leclerc later followed the same setup philosophy before going on to win the British Grand Prix.

Thursday’s crucial meeting

Ferrari arrived at Silverstone expecting a difficult weekend, believing it would be around five to six tenths of a second slower than Mercedes.

During Thursday’s engineering meeting, however, Lewis Hamilton and Charles Leclerc remained optimistic. Together with their engineers, they worked relentlessly on every detail in an effort to extract the maximum performance from the SF-26.

Hamilton later explained that he decided to begin the weekend with setup settings he knew well from his extensive experience at Silverstone, rather than relying entirely on the simulator’s recommendations. The decision immediately paid off, as the British driver claimed pole position for the Sprint.

Hamilton reveals the Silverstone setup story

Speaking during Sunday’s post-race press conference, Hamilton once again referred to Ferrari’s simulator, explaining that he effectively trusted his own instincts over its initial recommendations. Those same setup principles were eventually adopted by Charles Leclerc, who went on to win the Grand Prix.

“What gives me confidence after this weekend,” Hamilton said, “is that the simulator indicated we should have started from a very different baseline in terms of the setup, but my engineers and I decided to stay with the direction we would normally have followed. Charles started with the original setup, then the simulator suggested that he should change it. In the end, my philosophy and the direction I had taken proved to be the right one, and he adapted to it as well.”

The Ferrari driver concluded proudly: “It’s nice to see that the direction I supported is paying off.”

After being investigated for a potential yellow-flag infringement, Lewis Hamilton was ultimately cleared and retained his third-place finish in the British Grand Prix.