Lewis Hamilton dominated Charles Leclerc before overtaking two virtual racing specialists at the Red Bull Ring. An entertaining demonstration, flattering for the Briton… even if the setup used suggests he might want to leave the trophies behind.
Hamilton, the new king of sim racing
Lewis Hamilton clearly doesn't need a real Ferrari, tires at operating temperature, or a comprehensible strategy to get the better of his colleagues. A steering wheel, a few pedals, and a 25-inch F1 model were all he needed to turn the Scuderia's simulator into a mini-lesson in hierarchy.
During a challenge organized on the Red Bull Ring, the seven-time world champion set a lap time of 1'06''468. Charles Leclerc , despite being renowned for his natural speed and mastery of virtual tools, had to settle for a time of 1'07''583.
That's a difference of 1,115 seconds on a circuit covered in just over a minute. At this level, it's no longer a small advantage: it's the time needed to check that Leclerc's controller was properly connected.
Leclerc takes a second… without being able to blame the strategy
On the track, such a gap would immediately trigger a technical meeting, three telemetry analyses and probably a statement from Frédéric Vasseur explaining that " the potential was better than the result".
In F1 25, the excuses are more limited. No traffic, no yellow flag, no late pit stop imagined by the pit wall. Hamilton was simply faster.
This performance, however, didn't come completely out of the blue. The Briton has a long history with racing games. He explained that he "grew up playing Gran Turismo," spending hours unlocking virtual cars.
EA Sports had also made him the star of the Iconic edition of F1 25, released in May 2025, with several content items associated with his arrival at Ferrari.
Even Ferrari specialists are still behind
The affair could have ended with a small family victory against Leclerc . But Hamilton then pitted his time against those of John Evans and Bari Broumand , members of the Ferrari e-sport team.
And, surprisingly, the two specialists failed to beat him.
The video doesn't reveal their exact times, but their reactions indicate they finished within a few tenths of a second of the British driver. Seeing an F1 driver outpace professionals whose job it is to optimize every virtual braking maneuver certainly adds a bit more weight to the performance.
Broumand is not, however, a player recruited after a friendly victory on a Sunday evening. Formula 1 presents him as one of the heavyweights of the discipline, with seven wins and twenty podium finishes, while Evans occupies the role of third driver within the Ferrari structure.
Ferrari has confirmed that Broumand, Evans and Ismael Fahssi make up its lineup for the F1 Sim Racing 2026 championship.
Hamilton is already dreaming of a 1'04 lap
Far from considering his 1'06''468 as a limit, Hamilton felt that a time in the minute four could be conceivable with a better executed lap.
Such a performance would bring him significantly closer to the world's best times in time trial mode. EA Sports even gave him an overall rating of 92 in F1 25, proof that even video games are still avoiding the debate about a possible decline.
The Briton also seems to be a regular in the paddock. Ferrari has released several videos showing him sitting in front of a curved screen, with a steering wheel and pedals, between official practice sessions. Perhaps it's his way of preparing for the circuits… or perhaps he's searching for an environment where tire changes are made at the right time.
A great performance, but not yet a world title
Before proclaiming Hamilton the new undisputed king of sim racing, a clarification is necessary. Broumand implied that Ferrari eSports drivers don't use their own custom setups. However, in F1 25, the car's configuration can significantly alter its handling and lap times.
The exact conditions of the challenge are not detailed further: number of attempts, piloting aids, fuel, temperature, or prior preparation. The result therefore resembles a successful promotional campaign more than a scientific comparison.
But the image remains delightful. At 41, Hamilton finished more than a second ahead of his teammate and held off two virtual racing professionals. All this with enough composure to suggest he could still shave nearly two seconds off his time.
Ferrari may have simply been looking for a fun video for its social media. Instead, it ended up giving Hamilton a victory, a virtual pole position, and a new way to tease Leclerc . For once, even the Italian communication strategy worked perfectly.
It looks like Lewis Hamilton is practicing on the simulator after all!🤣 #F1 #Formula1 #LewisHamilton pic.twitter.com/FURAzWfCvb
— Extreme Cars (@extremecarsf1) August 4, 2026