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Lewis Hamilton is considered to be one of the best drivers in F1. With 103 race wins and seven world titles, the Briton has achieved almost everything at the highest level. However, even he has had moments where he could not even get on the podium.
While many drivers only got a handful of chances to stand on a podium, Lewis Hamilton has a handful of races where he didn't step on the podium. Here is a list of his top 5 podium droughts throughout his F1 career.
Top 5 podium droughts experienced by Lewis Hamilton in F1
#5 2011 - 5 races from Hungarian to Japanese GP
When Lewis Hamilton was still establishing himself as one of the sport's greats, he experienced his first long drought in podiums. After winning his first world championship with McLaren in 2009, he struggled to continue his dominant run with the team.
In the 2011 F1 season, he was not in contention to win a title and found it difficult to finish in the podium places. His first long podium drought lasted from the Hungarian GP to the Japanese GP. At the Hungarian and Italian GP, the then-McLaren driver finished fourth, while in the Belgian GP, he had to retire from the race.
#4 2022 - 7 races from Saudi Arabian to Azerbaijan GP
After the infamous 2021 F1 season, where Lewis Hamilton valiantly battled with Max Verstappen for the world championship, both he and Mercedes experienced a major setback.
In the 2022 F1 season, the FIA implemented major aerodynamic changes to the chassis, which completely changed how the car behaved. This change did not bode well for the Silver Arrows as they struggled with an aerodynamic phenomenon called porpoising. Both Hamilton and George Russell struggled to drive the car throughout 2022.
This is where the seven-time world champion experienced his fourth-longest podium drought between the Saudi Arabian and Azerbaijan GPs.
#3 2023/2024 - 8 races from 2023 Brazilian to 2024 Chinese GP
Currently, Lewis Hamilton is experiencing one of his longest podium droughts. After finishing second in the 2023 F1 Mexican GP, the Brit did not stand on any podium until the 2024 F1 Chinese GP that took place on April 21.
What's even more surprising is that in these eight races, Hamilton has failed to break into the top five, let alone get a podium. He also suffered a retirement in the 2024 F1 Australian GP due to engine issues.
As of now, this drought is his third-longest, but could very well become his longest ever if he fails to bag a podium in the next two races.
#2 2013/2014 - 9 races from 2013 Italian to 2014 Australian GP
Though Lewis Hamilton and Mercedes' partnership is considered to be one of the strongest in F1 history, it had a rough start. Hamilton replaced the legendary Michael Schumacher at Mercedes in 2013, just a year before the FIA brought major changes to the power unit.
Before the hybrid era, the Silver Arrows were not a strong team as they hardly fought for titles, and were considered a midfield team. They had a slightly upward trajectory in 2013 with Hamilton and Nico Rosberg but only finished second in the constructors' championship.
In the latter stages of the season, Hamilton was unable to bag a podium for eight races straight. Coming into 2014, he had to retire from the Australian GP due to engine issues.
Following this drought, however, Hamilton and Mercedes drastically improved their on-track performance, beginning their dominant era that spanned from 2014 to 2020.
#1 2008/2009 - 10 races from 2008 Brazilian to 2009 German GP
Right after his first world championship, Lewis Hamilton and McLaren struggled to get their car up to the top in 2009. That year, the FIA made some drastic changes to the technical regulations, bringing back slick tires, changing the aerodynamics of the chassis, and introducing a kinetic energy recovery system (KERS) in the cars.
In his championship-winning season, Hamilton finished fifth in the Brazilian GP, which started his longest podium drought. From the Australian GP in 2008 to the German GP in 2009, his podium-less streak continued.
Out of these 10 races, he was only able to score points in four of them, since back in 2008 and 2009, F1 only offered points to the drivers who finished in the top eight.
