Credits: IMAGO PanoramiC
Since the start of the 2022 season, Lewis Hamilton has had a tough time in F1. Ruling the sport at one stage, the 39-year-old has not won a race since winning the 2021 Saudi Arabian Grand Prix. The winless streak is Hamilton’s longest-ever since he joined F1 back in 2007. Meanwhile, Max Verstappen has been enjoying life in the front of the grid, racking up win after win. Noting the same, it seems the Dutchman recently mocked Hamilton for his winless streak while on a livestream with his friends.
When the British national anthem started playing on his stream, Max Verstappen encountered a curious affair. Quick to think on his feet, the 26-year-old came up with a statement that could well be perceived as a mockery of his arch-rival, Hamilton.
“Haven’t heard that one in a while.”
Ever since joining F1, Hamilton has enjoyed massive success in the sport. He wanted an incredible rookie season, but he lost out on the championship by a single point. Upon joining Mercedes, Hamilton scored six world championships, taking his overall tally to seven (one title with McLaren). However, the onset of the latest ground-effect regulations has made things immensely difficult for Hamilton and Mercedes.
While Hamilton hasn’t enjoyed similar success to Verstappen, there have been other drivers to push him off the top spot of the podium. Sergio Perez and Carlos Sainz are the only drivers with multiple race wins since 2022. Aside from them, George Russell has been the only race winner under the latest regulations. Despite Russell being the last British driver to win a race, Verstappen did not have to listen to ‘God Save the King’ since they played ‘God Save the Queen’ back then. While the sound of the British anthem has been extinct from F1, the Dutch anthem has almost become the theme of each race day.
Has Max Verstappen grown tired of hearing the Dutch anthem?
In December 2023, Verstappen and his friends were logging in the hours on their sim rigs. With Verstappen streaming the session live, his friends decided to pull a small prank on him. Midway through the stream, they started playing the Dutch National anthem, much to the annoyance of the Dutchman. As soon as he heard the music, Verstappen remarked, “Oh, come on! Stop this sh*t.” Notably, Verstappen’s reaction was purely out of jest.
While the Dutch anthem has recently become a familiar sound, the German and the British anthems were once the norm. Michael Schumacher (and even Sebastian Vettel) and Lewis Hamilton stood atop the podium a lot, leading to both their anthems becoming a regular occurrence in F1.
Verstappen once used the same to answer an interviewer asking if he was sick of the Dutch anthem. Opting for a savage yet hilarious reply, Verstappen remarked, “I’ve heard the British and the German ones way too much.” Of course, by saying so, Verstappen imitated the feelings of current F1 fans. Most fans seem to have grown tired of hearing the same anthem play over and over again.
