Max Verstappen brutally mocked Lewis Hamilton, George Russell and Lando Norris over their recent failures to win Grands Prix in Formula One. Reigning world drivers’ champion Verstappen, who is cruising towards a fourth consecutive world title this year, aimed a jibe at the British drivers during a live social media video
Verstappen frequently takes to live video platform Twitch to speak with friends and fans while playing games. In a video filmed while the Dutchman was in China for last weekend’s Grand Prix, he joked about his British F1 rivals and their failure to win races.
While playing EA FC with friends, the British national anthem could be heard playing over the top of the video. With a deadpan expression, Verstappen bluntly quipped: “Haven’t heard that one in a while!”
Verstappen is referencing the fact that British drivers have scarcely been on the podium while Red Bull have dominated F1 over the last three years. The national anthem of the winning driver is played when they stand on the podium.
Russell was the last British driver to win a race, claiming his maiden triumph at the 2022 Sao Paulo Grand Prix. Neither the 26-year-old nor Mercedes team-mate Hamilton have recorded a victory since then, with the Brackley-based team struggling for consistently positive performances.
Hamilton has not stood at the top of the podium since the 2021 Saudi Arabian Grand Prix, the week prior to the controversial race in Abu Dhabi where Verstappen contentiously won his first title. Verstappen has been dominant ever since and Carlos Sainz was the only non-Red Bull driver to win a race in 2023.
Meanwhile, McLaren’s Norris has collected the most points of any F1 driver to never win a Grand Prix. The Briton, who finished second behind Verstappen in China, has 691 career points.