Lewis Hamilton is an old-school driver and this shows from his refusal to use the simulator. Hamilton once revealed in an interview that he doesn’t like using the simulator present in the Mercedes garage, which can cost more than $100,000. The Briton feels the simulator doesn’t satisfy his needs and Scott Mansell of Driver61 has explained why the #44 driver said so.
In a video earlier this year on his YouTube channel Driver61, Mansell explained how simulators impact F1 teams and drivers’ performance. However, for Hamilton, he stated that the seven-time champion wants the feel in his stomach and the body which is often missing when one drives the car on the simulator.
The on-track driving is the only way Hamilton feels he can churn out better development results. Some simulators available in team garages might even cost more than millions of dollars as the sides often want state-of-the-art equipment.
However, the simulators available for fans on the F1 Authentics website cost just about $127,000 in stark contrast. Given it is only for fans, there is a huge difference in the cost and also how the experience may be to the real track experience in the team simulators.
The key differences between a Simulator and an On-Track driving experience
Scott Mansell then explained Lewis Hamilton‘s perspective and the key elements that driving simulators lack. Mansell stated that the throttle, braking, and steering experience is as realistic as it is in real life. However, some major sensory aspects such as the feel of the G-forces a driver experiences in a real car are missing on the simulator.
For Hamilton, these aspects that his body feels are crucial. Since they can only be felt on track, he doesn’t use the simulator. Moreover, even when it comes to learning new tracks and racing lines, Hamilton knows how to adapt his style to them because of his years of experience in the sport.
Hence, the British driver probably thinks that the simulator is only good to use as a car development tool rather than a driver development tool, but it can be both. Hamilton may change his perspective going ahead, seeing the stellar results Max Verstappen has been getting on the race track thanks to using the simulator to hone his skills.
Will Max Verstappen be able to inspire Lewis Hamilton to use the simulator?
Max Verstappen loves sim racing and is often racing in the simulator whenever he gets time to spare. He is one of the top sim racers in the world and this helps him in the real world of F1 too.
It not only helps him to learn the tracks better but also hone his skills and driving style. Verstappen has a simulator in his private jet besides his Red Bull motorhome one and a simulator setup at his home. The effects of his relentless simulator work also reflect in his on-track performance.
Meanwhile, Lewis Hamilton tried the simulator in 2022 after the sudden drop Mercedes faced. However, he has since only relied on test drivers to learn simulator insights and has not used it much.
Hamilton doesn’t wish to use simulators for another reason. He thinks it is a waste of energy and he would rather save his energy for the race weekends. However, if driving simulator sessions do help Mercedes recover their performance deficit, then the seven-time champion may want to reconsider his mind on the same.
