Formula 1 World Champion Max Verstappen stated that he does not sympathize with his longtime rival Lewis Hamilton for his two-year winless drought. The seven-time world champion’s last victory dates back to December 5, 2021, when he won the inaugural Saudi Arabian Grand Prix.
In 2022 and 2023, Hamilton struggled to secure a victory, mainly due to Mercedes lagging behind Red Bull. Since the introduction of new regulations at the beginning of last year, the Brackley-based team has only managed one win, claimed by George Russell in the Sao Paulo Grand Prix over 12 months ago.
The 2023 season marked the first winless campaign for Mercedes since 2011. Just a few years ago, such a scenario seemed unthinkable given the German team’s dominance from 2014 to 2020.
Verstappen responded to a question from Blick about whether it would be challenging for him to cope with such a prolonged drought after a lengthy period of success, saying, “Such periods happen, but I prefer not to think about them because it will only drain my energy.”