Lewis Hamilton has endured a wretched two seasons, having seen Max Verstappen win three successive world titles, though the Mercedes star did tempt fate five years ago

Lewis Hamilton’s demands for better competition have come back to bite him (Image: Getty Images)

Lewis Hamilton’s taunts over wanting more competition has come back to bite him, with Max Verstappen having swept all before him in F1.

Hamilton has won seven world championships across his career, but his last two years have been increasingly difficult. A design misstep from Mercedes has seen them fall down the standings and be overtaken by the dominant Red Bull team.

The British superstar has finished second, sixth and third over the past three seasons, though has not won a race since the 2021 Saudi Arabian Grand Prix. It has been a bruising experience for Hamilton, who has seen Verstappen win three successive titles.

But there has also been an element of Hamilton’s words coming back to bite him. Back in 2019, when the Silver Arrows’ star was at the peak of his powers, Hamilton demanded his rivals provide him with better competition.

“Each year the goal is to get better and – looking at our competitors out there – the more competition, the better. You always want to be against the best while at your best because then when you beat them it is more painful for them and more enjoyable for me,” he said.

“Every year you reset, you re-evaluate and you set new goals. That is the same for all of us when you come to a new year, you set new heights and new targets. So it is pretty much the same as in recent years where we are out there to work cohesively and extract absolutely everything from ourselves as team and the car.

“When I first started we were racing against Ferrari and I was just a kid, I was 22-years-old. I had all the talent that I needed, had a bit of practice and preparation getting to Formula One but I didn’t have the experience.

Max Verstappen won his third successive title last year, with Hamilton third in the standings ( Image: Getty Images)
“It was just all raw and wild adrenaline and ambition, without really a particular strategy and an experience to balance yourself. The ability has not changed, but over the years you can continue to pile up and build on that foundation to give you stability and allows you to execute it better.”

Hamilton has frequently demanded improvements from his Mercedes team amid their downturn. And while he endured another frustrating campaign last year, the British superstar is adamant that his performance levels have not dropped.

“Ultimately, when you have difficult seasons like this, there are always going to be moments when you’re like, ‘Is it me, or is it the car? Do you still have it? Has it gone?’” Hamilton said at the end of last season.