Lewis Hamilton completes seven-hour simulator session to gain Max Verstappen advantage

Lewis Hamilton goes undercover to inspire school children

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Lewis Hamilton is spending a rare amount of time on the F1 simulator as he bids to claw back the deficit to Max Verstappen in Saudi Arabia this weekend. Hamilton, 36, has kept his title hopes alive by winning the last two races in Brazil and Qatar, and now trails the Dutchman by just eight points ahead of the inaugural night race in Jeddah.

The set-up of the track is thought to favour the current superior straight-line speed of Mercedes, although with the venue having never been used before, there is an air of unpredictability about what’s to come.

So much so that Hamilton, 36, has seemingly broken the habit of a lifetime by putting in extra hours on the simulator – equipment he’s not always been keen to embrace in the past.

The Guardian have reported that Hamilton, who is not a fan of the similar, explained to them that he had spent seven hours one day last week on the Mercedes sumular at their Brackley headquarters.

The report then claims that Hamilton spent a further four hours on Monday on the simulator as he gears up for the unpredictability of Jeddah, as he eyes a record-breaking eighth world title.

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Verstappen however, is no stranger to putting in hours on the simulator and has long championed using it for practice and preparation.

In March 2020, when the F1 season was delayed due to the effects of the Covid-19 pandemic, he described using it as ‘fun’, and said “Over the winter I did it a lot and I try to practice my skills and make it even better. That’s why I love doing it.”

He hasn’t been the only driver to indulge in the virtual aspect of things, with McLaren man Lando Norris also actively engaging in simulator racing and esports in the past.

Red Bull man Verstappen will be under pressure to respond to Hamilton’s recent surge, as he seeks a maiden F1 title.

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The 24-year-old went into last month’s race in Sao Paulo with a 19-point lead over his rival, and extended that by two further points after finishing second in the Saturday sprint race, with Hamilton sent to the back of the grid for a DRS infringement.

However, the Mercedes man then produced on of his greatest drives the following day, making use of his newly installed internal combustion unit to come from 10th on the grid and take the chequered flag.

He took the momentum into Qatar, heading another one-two between him and Verstappen, although the latter did at least notch a bonus point for the fastest lap.

Hamilton is likely to still need two wins to retain his crown, which would see him stand alone as the only driver in history to have eight world championship titles. He’s currently tied with Michael Schumacher on seven.

And yet, things could all be over this weekend, if Verstappen were to claim 18 more points than Hamilton. In reality, for that scenario he would need to secure a top-two finish and hope Hamilton failed to finish.

The constructors’ race is also on a knife-edge, with the ‘Silver Arrows’ just five points ahead of Red Bull.

Following the race in Saudi Arabia, the season concludes the following weekend in Abu Dhabi.

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