Lewis Hamilton Ready to 'Back Away' from Ferrari Simulator After Miami Misstep

Lewis Hamilton is prepared to step back from Ferrari's simulator after it led him down the wrong setup path for the Miami Grand Prix. The seven-time champion felt starting the weekend "on the back foot" cost him results, and he intends to rely less on simulation ahead of the next race.

Why it matters:

Hamilton's integration at Ferrari is under scrutiny, and simulator correlation issues are an early hurdle. If he can't trust the tool to replicate on-track behavior, it could hamper his ability to adapt quickly to the car—especially during Sprint weekends with limited practice time.

The Details:

• Hamilton finished sixth in the Miami GP after a difficult weekend (Sprint: 7th, GP: 7th on road, 6th after Leclerc's penalty).
• He felt that if he had started FP1 with a setup closer to Leclerc's, he would have had a stronger weekend.
• The simulator at Maranello gave him a direction that didn't translate to the track: "You prepare, drive it, get the car set up to a certain place, then come to the track and that setup doesn't work."
• Hamilton has never been a frequent simulator user across his 20 F1 seasons.
• He noted that before the Chinese GP, he didn't use the simulator and had his best weekend of the season.
• His plan: "I am not going to go on the simulator between now and the next race ... and back away from it a little bit." He will still attend meetings at the factory.

What's Next:

Hamilton will skip simulator work before the next event, hoping to avoid repeating the Miami experience. He wants to start weekends with a baseline more aligned to Leclerc's, trusting real-world data over simulation. It's a pragmatic move—but one that highlights the gap still to close between driver and team.