Hamilton still not fully sold on new-generation Formula 1 cars

The Canadian Grand Prix weekend delivered plenty of excitement, especially at the front of the field, with Kimi Antonelli and George Russell exchanging the race lead for almost half the Grand Prix before a technical issue ultimately forced the Brit’s W17 into retirement. Behind them, Lewis Hamilton and Max Verstappen produced a spectacular fight for second place, further highlighting how the new generation of cars has allowed for much closer racing compared to recent years.

However, speaking after the race, Hamilton admitted he still does not see the current driving style as something that comes naturally, describing the behaviour of the modern power units as a “weird feeling”. The Ferrari driver explained how the cars lose power halfway down the straights once the energy deployment runs out, causing the RPM to suddenly drop instead of continuing to build speed all the way to the braking zone.

According to Hamilton, that sensation goes against what motorsport should feel like, with the Brit nostalgically comparing the current generation to the old V8 and V10 era engines, which continuously pulled harder and harder right until the end of the straight.

After already revealing following Miami that he no longer intended to rely on the simulator, Hamilton stayed true to his word in Montreal - and in the end, the results appeared to prove him right. The Ferrari driver pointed out that his two strongest weekends of the season had both come without simulator preparation, insisting that throughout most of his championship-winning career he had achieved success using a far more old-school approach.

Hamilton explained that while the simulator can still serve as a valuable development tool, particularly when it comes to correlating data and identifying weaknesses in the car, he believes only the full-time race drivers can truly understand the behaviour and limitations of the SF-26 on track. According to the Brit, real-world feedback remains far more useful in helping Ferrari improve the car than virtual preparation alone.

“If you look at the two best races I've had, I didn't use a simulator. That's honestly how it was. All the championships before, except for probably 2008, I didn't use a sim. It's not a necessity. It's a tool that can be powerful, but for me, I'm old school. I'm probably better without it.”

Although he stressed he would continue supporting the team’s development work, Hamilton also admitted he is unlikely to use the simulator again as part of his race preparation moving forward, believing the process introduces too many variables and risks for his personal driving approach.