Rosberg criticises Hamilton’s race preparation – The big hype that filled the sport’s pages column inches at the start of the 2025 Formula One season was Lewis Hamilton joining the most successful F1 team, the iconic Ferrari. Writers discussed the possibility of the British driver claiming the record eight championship he is missing together with how the seven times champion may help Ferrari out of their recent doldrums.

Now with a third of the season in the bag, the pipe dream for Lewis and Ferrari are well and truly over. This weekend in Spain there was some encouragement for Hamilton as for the first time this season he finally beat his team mate in Grand Prix qualifying in Barcelona. He has finished ahead of Leclerc just once in the eight Grand Prix completed to date.

Yet once again Ferrari were the fourth best team in qualifying and never in contention for a top four spot even Hamilton in fifth was half a second off pole and Leclerc less than a tenth back from his team mate found Kimi Antonelli ahead leaving him seventh on there starting grid.

 

 

 

Hamilton downbeat in Barcelona

Lewis Hamilton has been downbeat throughout most of the weekend describing his SF-25 “underivable” on Friday and in Saturday practice three. Yet Lewis knows the Circuit de Catalunya like the back of his hand and maybe it was seventeen year’s of experience racing in the Iberian peninsula which gave him the advantage over Charles Leclerc.

Leclerc had chosen to take only four sets of new soft tyres into qualifying based on the belief he felt in practice the medium and hard tyres would be better for the Grand Prix on Sunday. So Charles has a wider range of tyres available over his team mate, and this may yet prove to be a canny decision from the Monegasque driver.

Hamilton has equaled the number of wins in Barcelona set by Michael Schumacher each with six victories and further Lewis has racked up the most poles in Barcelona with six to his name. Yet Hamilton’s season is not going as planned with a number of questions about whether the British driver has passed the peak of his powers and is in terminal decline.

Hamilton began his career when testing was almost unlimited along with the fact that the race car simulators used by the teams’ were primitive by todays standards. Yet even in recent times with simulations having marched firmly into the twenty first century, Lewis is adverse to using this equipment for personal preparation restating his belief that:

1. It provides a lack of physical feedback. In a real car, drivers rely heavily on their body to sense changes in grip, oversteer, and braking forces—sensations a simulator cannot replicate.
2. 2) It is dependent on vision stimulants. Hamilton has noted that in a simulator, visual cues are the primary input, unlike in real life, where they are secondary to physical sensations.
3. There is imperfect brake feel. While throttle response and steering feedback in high-end simulators are realistic, brake feel is often lacking, making it harder to judge lock-ups and braking distances.

Hamilton slams FIA & scoffs at Wolff

 

 

 

Rosberg believes Hamilton’s preparation not ideal

For these reasons, Lewis believes the disconnect between the simulator and reality has a negative impact on his driving. That said during the 2022 season when Mercedes lost their way under the new ground effect rules, Hamilton did spend time in the Mercedes simulators, although his focus was on guiding the test drivers and engineers on the areas where the car required development but not for personally preparation.

Hamilton has always stated his emphasis for personal preparation is on conserving energy which explains why he rejects the negativities the simulator can provide. Yet as he moves into his fourth decade of life, ex-team mate and world champion F1 driver, Nico Rosberg believes Lewis is missing a trick in terms of keeping himself razor sharp.

Rosberg believes Hamilton is putting himself on an uneven playing field as the young BRDC drivers are all now put through their paces on the Mercedes’ F1 simulator. 

Rosberg when asked admitted he’d changed his view on the use of simulators in recent years. “Yes I’ve come to a point to think its helpful to your performance in the end here on the race track. And its somewhere were someone like Lewis Hamilton – who is still old school and doesn’t do that SIM stuff – I think now its at a point where its a disadvantage [for Hamilton]. Lewis should just get into it because you’re practicing your skills constantly and every day.”

Horner reacts to Ferrari offering

 

 

 

Davidson says SIM racing is changing F1

Sky’s Anthony Davidson agreed to the point he is seeing the result of drivers who do racing simulations like Max Verstappen, finding new driving lines which have never been traditionally used in F1 before. “The first time I ever saw this on track was Lando Norris in Bahrain in turn four. He started to use the outside kerb before turning in [later than traditionally]. Its a flat pointed curve and its something on the SIM you can explore and experiment with. Now everyone is using this year that line. Its a SIM thing.”

Nico Rosberg agreed adding, “more than just those details, I wonder if it just hones your skills, keeps your mental reaction quick – keeps the practice going. Wheres someone like Lewis goes hime and does nothing remotely to keep his speed of processing going – the young guys they go home from the race weekend and their straight in the Simulator for hours and hours and hours and of course its a similar skill requirement. I’m convinced its starting ton make a difference.”

Rosberg was old school too, but he appears to believe that even if this gives a driver a tenth or two of edge from SIM practicing, with a field so tight this can make all the difference on track. Hamilton may need to work even harder now in his forties to ensure he is as quick as ever before, something his last three seasons against George Russell appeared to prove necessary.

Zak Brown’s biggest McLaren failure

 

 

 

MORE F1 NEWS – Alonso identifies Spanish superstar lost to F1

Fernando Alonso is cast in the old school mode of racing driver who wants to race whenever he can and whatever the racing category. His love for the sport has seen the Spaniard compete in North America’s premier open cockpit single seater series Indycar which includes the fearsome and iconic Indy500 event, during his time away from F1.

Alonso is one of just two current drivers who has completed two of the three challenges which completes motorsport’s elusive triple crown. Only Graham Hill has ever achieved this incredible feat which includes winning the three most prestigious motorsport’s races which are, the 24 hours of Le Mans, the Indy500 and the jewel of the F1 crown in Monaco.

Alonso during his time way from F1 took part in three Indy500 race events, although his only finish was in P21 at his third attempt. The Spaniard was euphoric after completing the 200 laps of the 2.5 mile Indianapolis Motor Speedway. He described it as “the craziest race of all” and claiming that “this is one of the biggest experiences for a driver. The adrenaline, the danger, the history, speed.”…. READ MORE