LEWIS HAMILTON equalled his longest winless streak in Formula One last week after he finished third in the Canadian Grand Prix.
The seven-time world champion, 37, is enduring his toughest season in F1.
Hamilton finished third in the Canadian GP last week
On Sunday he earned his second podium finish of the year, but while he was overjoyed with the result, he also equalled an unwanted record.
He has now gone 10 consecutive races without recording a win – the longest run of his career.
There have only been three other occasions in which he has suffered this streak – in 2009 and twice in 2013.
The new regulations introduced by the FIA have meant that Mercedes are struggling to compete with their rivals.
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And Hamilton, who currently sits sixth in the drivers standings, has even branded the car as ‘undriveable’.
After a disastrous practice session ahead of the Canadian GP last week, he said: “We were trying lots of different things and an experimental floor on my side, which didn’t work. Nothing we do with this car seems to work.
“George [Russell] went with a much different setup in FP2 just to see if one ways works and one way doesn’t.
“I’ll wait to hear from him how it went but, for me, it was a disaster.
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“It’s like the car is getting worse, it’s getting more and more unhappy the more we do to it.
“We’ve been working on it and it is what it is. I think this is the car for the year, so we just have to tough it out and work hard on building a better car for next year.”
Despite initial concerns, the F1 legend went on to finish Sunday’s race in third.
He later described the unexpected result as ‘special’.
After the race, he said: “It’s quite overwhelming, honestly, to get this third place…
“It’s been such a battle this year with a car and as a team, but we continue to stay vigilant and focused and never give up, and that’s something I’m so proud of and inspired by.
“Red Bull and Ferrari are a little bit too quick for us at the moment but we’re getting closer. We have got to keep pushing and keep pushing. Eventually we will be in the fight.
“I’m ecstatic. I didn’t expect this. It feels really special, especially as it was where I got my first Grand Prix win.”
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While Hamilton has struggled to find his feet this year, his new team-mate George Russell continues to perform consistently.
The 24-year-old extended his run to nine consecutive top-five finishes at the weekend which has put him fourth in the drivers standings.
