James Hinchcliffe Defends Lewis Hamilton Ferrari Complaint

Lewis Hamilton has received support from former IndyCar driver James Hinchcliffe after once again raising concerns over simulator correlation issues at Ferrari.

Throughout the 2026 Miami Grand Prix weekend, Hamilton repeatedly stated that Ferrari’s SF-26 felt significantly different on track compared to what he had experienced in the team’s simulator.

The discrepancy is believed to have contributed to Hamilton struggling far behind the front-runners in Miami, marking one of his most difficult weekends with Ferrari so far this season.

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Hamilton is also known for not being a major fan of simulators and generally prefers working directly with engineers rather than spending extensive time in the sim environment.

Responding to the seven-time world champion’s comments, Hinchcliffe argued that simulator correlation problems are very realistic in modern Formula 1.

“It’s very plausible. I’ve been in that situation before,” Hinchcliffe said on the F1 Nation podcast.

The former IndyCar driver explained that despite huge technological progress allowing simulators to accurately model aerodynamics, engines, tyres, and track conditions, they still remain simulations rather than reality.

According to Hinchcliffe, one crucial element remains almost impossible to replicate perfectly: the genuine sensation a driver feels inside the cockpit of a racing car.

“The one thing you cannot truly replicate is the feeling of a race car from inside the cockpit. A simulator can move around and reproduce some G-force, but it will never deliver the same visceral feedback as the real car,” he explained.

Hinchcliffe also admitted he had personally experienced situations where a setup felt strong in the simulator but behaved completely differently once applied to the actual car on track.

“I’ve definitely had setups that felt good in the simulator but produced a very different feeling when installed on the real race car,” Hinchcliffe added.

Ferrari is now expected to revise part of its setup approach ahead of the Canadian Grand Prix following an extensive evaluation of the SF-26’s Miami performance.