Simulators have grown in importance as opportunities to test current Formula 1 cars on track have declined. For all teams now, the simulator is not only an essential preparatory tool for arriving at each track with a reasonable setup, it also helps to evaluate the performance of new parts before they are added to the car.
Unless, that is, you're Lewis Hamilton, who has become increasingly vocal about his dissatisfaction with Ferrari's simulator – or rather, how his experiences in it fail to correlate with the SF-26r's on-track behaviour. His two best finishes this season have coincided with him eschewing the simulator in preparation, so he has declared himself done with it.
