Lewis Hamilton drops Ferrari simulator after strong Canadian GP qualifying
Lewis Hamilton plans to stop using Ferrari’s simulator after enjoying his strongest qualifying session of the year at the Canadian Grand Prix.
Hamilton qualified fifth for Saturday’s shortened Sprint race at the Circuit Gilles Villeneuve.
The seven-time world champion appeared to be the closest challenger to rivals Mercedes before making a small mistake on his final flying lap.
Despite the error, the effort was enough to outpace team-mate Charles Leclerc in a competitive session for the first time since the Chinese Grand Prix.
‘The best I’ve felt all year’
The British driver had been noticeably outperformed by Leclerc at the preceding rounds in Japan and Miami.
In response, he opted to skip simulator duties ahead of the Montreal weekend to focus purely on physical training and data analysis.
“That’s probably the best qualifying session we’ve had for some time,” Hamilton said.
“I was having so much fun out there. The fact that I didn’t do the sim, and it was the best I’ve felt all year, so I think that’s the way forward for me.”
A transformed machine
Ferrari arrived in North America expecting a difficult weekend, lacking the significant upgrades introduced by Red Bull, McLaren, and Mercedes.
However, the veteran racer used the three-week break between events to deeply analyse the mechanical balance of his car.
By implementing an entirely new setup, the 103-time race winner felt reinvigorated on a track where he secured his maiden Formula 1 victory back in 2007.
“I chose a setup that we’ve never used before and it’s transformed the car for me, so I hope that bodes well for the rest of the weekend,” he added.
Meanwhile, Leclerc endured a difficult Friday session, revealing he had been severely struggling to understand his brakes.