Lewis Hamilton may have delivered his most convincing Formula 1 performance since joining Ferrari at the Canadian Grand Prix, but the result has also intensified growing questions surrounding one of the Scuderia’s most important technical tools: the Maranello simulator.
After securing a superb second-place finish in Montreal following an aggressive late-race battle with Max Verstappen, attention quickly shifted toward an unexpected detail behind the British driver’s breakthrough weekend.
Before arriving in Canada, Lewis Hamilton had openly decided against using Ferrari’s simulator preparation programme for the event—a decision that now appears increasingly significant given the outcome.
The seven-time world champion looked far more comfortable with the SF-26 throughout the entire weekend, showing stronger confidence on corner entry, improved tyre management and a level of consistency that had often been missing during his earlier Ferrari appearances.
For many observers inside the Formula 1 paddock, the situation raises an uncomfortable possibility: has Ferrari’s simulator correlation actually been working against Lewis Hamilton?
Lewis Hamilton taking a very different approach from Charles Leclerc
Throughout the early phase of his Ferrari career, Lewis Hamilton has appeared far less reliant on simulator work than team-mate Charles Leclerc.
Reports from inside the paddock throughout 2025 already suggested that the British driver rarely spent extended time in Ferrari’s simulator compared to the Monegasque, preferring instead to trust instinct, experience and real-world track evolution.
That philosophy suddenly looks much more relevant after Montreal. Without simulator preparation influencing setup direction, Lewis Hamilton delivered his strongest Ferrari race yet, staying competitive from practice all the way to Sunday’s Grand Prix and eventually finishing just behind Andrea Kimi Antonelli.
Former Formula 1 driver Jolyon Palmer even compared Lewis Hamilton’s mentality to Michael Schumacher’s old-school approach, suggesting both champions preferred relying on feel rather than becoming overly dependent on virtual tools and simulator data.
In Canada, that approach appeared to work perfectly.
David Croft highlights Ferrari’s possible simulator correlation problem
Sky Sports F1 commentator David Croft believes Ferrari should now seriously examine the effectiveness of its simulator programme.
In his analysis after the Canadian Grand Prix, Croft suggested it was difficult to ignore the connection between Lewis Hamilton avoiding the simulator and immediately producing his best performance since arriving at Maranello.
The British commentator indicated that Ferrari’s setup recommendations may not be correlating properly with the actual behaviour of the SF-26 on track, particularly if Lewis Hamilton feels more competitive when working outside those virtual references. According to Croft, the situation becomes especially concerning because modern Formula 1 teams depend heavily on simulation tools due to strict testing limitations. If the simulator is leading the team in the wrong direction, the impact could extend far beyond a single race weekend.
Ferrari team principal Fréd Vasseur had entered the Canadian Grand Prix expecting Ferrari to struggle against upgraded McLaren and Mercedes packages. Instead, Lewis Hamilton unexpectedly emerged as one of the standout performers of the race weekend.
That contrast only strengthened the spotlight on Ferrari’s internal technical processes.
Lewis Hamilton finally showing signs of comfort at Ferrari
Beyond the simulator debate, Canada also represented an important personal milestone for Lewis Hamilton.
For the first time since joining Ferrari, the seven-time Formula 1 world champion consistently looked able to attack the car naturally across an entire race weekend. His battle with Max Verstappen highlighted a level of confidence and aggression that Ferrari fans had been waiting to see since the blockbuster move from Mercedes.
Meanwhile, Charles Leclerc endured one of his most difficult weekends in recent memory, struggling badly with tyre confidence and overall balance throughout the Grand Prix.
The contrast between the two Ferrari drivers has now created a fascinating new discussion inside the Formula 1 paddock. While Charles Leclerc remains deeply integrated into Ferrari’s established working methods, Lewis Hamilton may be beginning to find success by moving slightly away from them.
If that trend continues, Ferrari may need to ask itself a serious question: is the simulator helping unlock performance—or limiting it?
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