In recent weeks we’ve seen a gradual increase in the number of otherwise idle F1 drivers getting into the world of sim-racing. McLaren’s Lando Norris and Red Bull’s Max Verstappen were already heavily involved, but almost half the grid is now racing online of a weekend.
One name curiously absent from the roster though is six-time world champion Lewis Hamilton. The Mercedes driver isn’t a stranger to racing games, as any GT Sport player will know. Hamilton, a Gran Turismo ambassador, is credited as the game’s “Maestro”, and his name and lap times adorn a paid DLC pack released last year.
However, judging by the Brit’s latest Instagram stories, this might be a situation that is due to change.
Hamilton first teased fans with an image of his new driving rig. It’s an unusual set-up, with a curved, ultrawide display (which doesn’t appear to be on-brand), and a more normal Thrustmaster T-GT wheel, combined in a custom, LH-branded Playseat rig.
The defending world champion then set about proving it wasn’t just for show. Hamilton flicked through some of his car collection, including a Pagani Zonda R which he remarked was beautiful but not quite the same as his own Zonda 760LH, and his championship winning 2017 Mercedes-AMG F1 W08 EQ Power+, but then set about driving.
Naturally the place to start doing that was his own event. Diving into the Lewis Hamilton Time Trial Challenge, the Mercedes driver aimed to chase down his own record at Dragon Trail: the 1:37.094 that serves as the event’s “diamond” time. Although not quite there at first, he did eventually record a 1:36.998. That’s no world record however — that’s a 1:35.432 set by GT Sport world champion Mikail Hizal.
We don’t know if this is just for some leisure time or if Hamilton is practicing ahead of an entry in the esports sphere like so many of his colleagues. If he does, it might not be in the events running F1 2019, iRacing, or rFactor 2 — contractual obligations may preclude it — but, as with fellow GT ambassador Carlos Sainz, a race or series using GT Sport.
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