Lewis Hamilton had much less to rejoice about in 2023 despite Max Verstappen’s complete dominance of the season.
Winless streaks can “eat up the energy” inside of you, according to Max Verstappen. One example of one is the two-year drought that former title rival Lewis Hamilton is currently going through. Since taking first place in the penultimate race of the 2021 season in Saudi Arabia, the Mercedes star has not been on the podium.
While Verstappen dominated the rest of the field in 2023, winning 19 of the 22 races and finishing 290 points clear of team-mate and closest rival Sergio Perez in the Drivers’ Championship, Hamilton was routinely left frustrated.
The seven-time world champion came within laps of challenging Verstappen for the race victory at the United States Grand Prix, only to cross the line in second place and later suffer a disqualification, alongside Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc, for a technical regulation violation. That was the closest he came to ending his winless streak last season.
Speaking to Blick, Verstappen was asked about Hamilton’s win drought, replying: “I did it too. No, wait. That’s not true. I was able to win from time to time. Well, such periods can happen, but I prefer not to think about it. Because they eat up the necessary energies in you.”
The Dutchman was also asked whether or not he misses fighting the seven-time world champion on track, to which he responded: “No. I was satisfied with how this season went. Sure, I appreciate the battles we once had. But now I especially appreciate the successes that we can celebrate as a team.”
This winless feeling is still a new one for the seven-time world champion. With a record 103 Grand Prix victories to his name, Hamilton is, statistically, the most successful driver in F1 history. In fact, until last season came and went without a triumph, the 38-year-old had never failed to record a race win across an entire season. Now he has in back-to-back years.
Hamilton is bothered by his winless streak even with his recent professional accomplishments. He said ahead of the disastrous Brazilian Grand Prix: “I think Red Bull will win because they have a fantastic car.
If that isn’t the case, though, I’m prepared to take the fight to them. If we can improve our plan and make it resemble Austin in any way, that would be amazing. I left last season empty-handed. This year, I don’t intend to do that.