Lewis Hamilton overtakes Max Verstappen’s longest F1 win drought
April 23 marked the date that Hamilton had gone 503 days without a victory in F1.
Verstappen’s record amount of time without a win is 502 days - stretching from the 2016 Spanish Grand Prix to the 2017 Malaysian Grand Prix.
The Dutchman’s previous streak without a victory was 427 days, starting in 2015 when he made his debut with Toro Rosso up until his first win in Spain 2016.
Hamilton’s drought looks like it won’t end anytime soon with Mercedes struggling for form in F1 2023.
Mercedes took just one win in 2022, courtesy of George Russell, meaning Hamilton’s record of winning a race in every F1 season that he’s participated in came to an end.
The German manufacturer have scored just one podium in the opening three races of 2023, and look no closer to challenging Red Bull at the front of the field.
In a bid to turn their season around, Mercedes have drafted in James Allison as technical director, with Mike Elliott taking over as chief technical officer.
Allison still believes Mercedes can overtake Red Bull eventually, albeit it will take some time.
“I’m trying not to think really in those terms. Just concentrating on what are the areas of opportunity on the car,” he told the F1 Nation Podcast.
“How quickly can we fill those opportunities with hardware or different approaches, with the expectation that that will improve our chances at any given weekend?
“The sooner we can do that, and on the steepest slope possible, the better our chances will be in any given weekend and up against any given team and in the championship.
“But we’re completely realistic about the significant performance of the Red Bull and particularly Max.
“They’re going to be extremely worthy opposition to hunt down and in due course overtake.”
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