Hamilton could manage only 11th place in Melbourne, where Max Verstappen eased to another pole with a dominant drive for Red Bull while the seven-time champion once more had to fight what seems a wilfully petulant vehicle. “The inconsistency in the car really messes with the mind,” he said. “It is three years in a row where I have had a similar feeling,” said Hamilton. “If we can make the car more consistent maybe we can be more competitive but there is a lot of work to do.”. Hamilton, who until 2022 had taken a win in every season of his career in F1 since his debut in 2007, has now gone without a victory for 57 races, the last at the 2021 Saudi Arabian GP. Mercedes have won only once since 2022, indicative of how they have failed to match their rivals.

Follow MotorMouth on social media:

• 
• 
• 
•