Seven-time champion Lewis Hamilton was back on good form at Sunday’s Canadian Grand Prix, claiming his second podium of the season after just five rounds.

Hamilton struggled during his maiden campaign in red, putting on a show of some of the most downbeat interviews and disappointing results of his illustrious career.

But 2026 presented the opportunity to wipe the slate clean and prove he made the right decision pursuing his childhood dream of signing with the Scuderia, one that paid off when he finally broke his podium curse with a P3 finish at the Chinese Grand Prix in March.

In Montreal Hamilton went one better and clinched P2 after rolling back the years with an overtake on Max Verstappen which sent the Canadian crowd into a frenzy.

But there is one really fascinating element about Hamilton’s recent success – Ferrari had absolutely nothing to do with it.

Hamilton Canadian GP podium proves he must be left to his own devices

Ok, so that may be slightly dramatic – the Scuderia did of course provide Hamilton with the car and the space to do what he feels is necessary prior to a race weekend.

But the 41-year-old made no secret of the fact he chose to prepare for this year’s race in Montreal on his own terms, taking an active step away from gruelling stints on the simulator back at Maranello.

The Brit found himself in a tricky position after the Miami Grand Prix earlier this month when the Italian squad’s mighty upgrades package (11 in total) seemingly did nothing for Hamilton or his team-mate Charles Leclerc.

It seemed something inside Hamilton snapped and he felt that the simulator, which drivers like Max Verstappen famously spend hours on in preparation for a grand prix, simply wasn’t working for him.

To take a step away from the help on offer from his team was bold from Hamilton, and doing it so publicly was risky.

It seemed he stepped back on his anti-simulator stance slightly during the weekend’s media sessions in Montreal, perhaps having been reined in by Ferrari’s PR team, with the champion acknowledging how far simulators have come since he first used one with McLaren in 1997.

But this didn’t change the fact that he had chosen not to use the simulator in preparation for this year’s Canadian GP, and the fact that he thrived in Montreal because he stayed away from the factory is not a good look for the Scuderia.

Fred Vasseur’s F1 squad opted not to bring any further upgrades to Canada, instead optimising the ones that were introduced in Miami, so it seems Hamilton has himself to thank mostly for Sunday’s terrific result.

The F1 superstar appeared to be the happiest he has been in years last weekend and looked more competitive than Leclerc all weekend, something which has never been a given since he became the Monegasque’s team-mate in 2025.

Hamilton on swerving Maranello to go it alone

Speaking to Viaplay in Montreal, Hamilton said of his much improved weekend: “I think the difference is, I was left less um… over the past couple of weeks I had not…. less commitments, not draining, I didn’t go to the factory, I didn’t go on a simulator, I just focused on sleep, training, but not like killing myself… and I stayed on this time zone, I got to see friends, I got to see some family, and I arrived full full of energy, and I knew exactly what I wanted to do, and where I wanted to put the car, and I arrived, and this is the formula now, I need to try and take that forwards.”

It seems the formula is simple: Bring your mum to the race, ignore Ferrari, don’t use their simulators and just go your own way, Lewis.

Hamilton doubles down on anti-simulator stance

So, will the seven-time champion continue to follow what could end up being the winning formula to finally help him land his first grand prix victory since the 2024 Belgian GP?

As long as Ferrari allow him to march to the beat of his own drum, it certainly seems that way.

Speaking in Sunday’s post-race press conference, the 105-time grand prix winner confirmed his decision to continue working away from the simulator, saying: “Whether or not I use it to prepare for another race? Probably not. There are just too many risks.

“If you look at the two best races I’ve had, I didn’t use a simulator. And that’s honestly how it was. Pretty much all the championships before, except for probably 2008, I didn’t use the sim. So it’s not a necessity. It’s a tool that can be powerful. But for me, I’m old school. I’m probably better without it.”