The five F1 races that evaded Lewis Hamilton’s victory march
Hamilton achieved his latest piece of F1 history at the Russian Grand Prix by becoming the first driver in history to win 100 races.
The seven-time world champion clinched the unprecedented milestone feat of a century of career victories in F1 amid a dramatic conclusion at Sochi as a late deluge turned the race on its head.
It means Hamilton has now won a staggering 100 of the 281 grands prix he has contested throughout his 15-year spell in F1, while he remains the only driver to have taken at least one victory in every season he has competed.
Remarkably, Hamilton has stood on the top step of the podium at the equivalent of almost 10% of all races to have taken place across the seven decades since the world championship began.
Hamilton may hold the record for the number of wins at different grands prix with 28, but there are five races that have eluded him on his journey to reaching triple figures…
European Grand Prix
Hamilton has contested seven races under the European GP moniker and is yet to taste victory in any of them.
In his rookie season, Hamilton could only finish ninth in his first-ever European GP at the Nurburgring in 2007.
The McLaren star was among a number of drivers to have been caught out in the chaos at Turn 1 after gambling to stay out on dry tyres as the rain increased.
The European GP moved to the Valencia Street Circuit for five seasons between 2008-2012, with second place being the best result Hamilton could muster on three consecutive occasions in 2008, 2009 and 2010.
After a three-year hiatus, the European GP returned to the F1 calendar in 2016 at the first-ever race to be staged in Baku.
While Mercedes teammate Nico Rosberg was victorious, Hamilton was consigned to a recovery drive in which he rose from 10th on the grid to take P5 following a crash in Q3.
Korean Grand Prix
The Korean Grand Prix was held four times in South Korea from 2010 until it 2013 before it was dropped from the F1 calendar.
Staged during the height of Red Bull’s dominance, the closest Hamilton came to winning in Yeongam was in 2010 and 2011 when he finished runner-up on both occasions.
Hamilton never again stepped foot on the Korean GP podium, though one of his 101 pole positions did come at the venue in 2011 when he stopped Red Bull’s run of 16 consecutive poles by topping qualifying.
Indian Grand Prix
Sebastian Vettel is the only driver to have ever won the Indian Grand Prix, with the German racking up three successive victories during his back-to-back title-winning campaigns in 2011, 2012, and 2013.
The Buddh International Circuit proved to be something of a ‘cursed’ venue for Hamilton, who never once graced the podium, despite finishing inside the top-three in qualifying on all three occasions the race was held. Hamilton’s best result was fourth place in 2012.
Given the circuit is unlikely to return to the F1 calendar, Vettel’s unbeaten record in India looks set to stand.
70th Anniversary GP
This is the one race we can say with certainty that Hamilton will never win in his F1 career.
Held as the second of back-to-back rounds at Silverstone in 2020 amid a calendar reshuffle caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, the 70th Anniversary Grand Prix was a one-off event staged as a 70-year commemoration race of the F1 world championship.
It was won by Red Bull’s Max Verstappen, with Hamilton forced to settle with runner-up spot as he tied Michael Schumacher’s record for the most podium finishes in F1 with 155.
Dutch Grand Prix
Hamilton has contested just the one Dutch Grand Prix, which was held earlier this month as Zandvoort returned to the F1 calendar for the first time since 1985.
The Briton was beaten to the win by Verstappen, who sent his devoted home crowd wild as he reclaimed the lead of the 2021 world championship.
Unlike India and Korea, Hamilton will have the chance to add the Dutch Grand Prix to his list of conquests before he finally decides to hang up his helmet, with Zandvoort set to remain on the F1 schedule for at least three years.
In total, Hamilton has won at 29 of the 34 circuits he has raced at, only missing victories at Zandvoort, Valencia, the Korea International Circuit, Buddh and Magny-Cours in France.
With Qatar’s Losail International Circuit set to fill the vacated slot on the revised 2021 calendar, it will join the Jeddah Street Circuit in Saudi Arabia as the latest new venue Hamilton could win at.
Where Lewis Hamilton has won:
Hungaroring - 8 (2007, 2009, 2012, 2013, 2016, 2018, 2019, 2020)
Silverstone - 8 (2008, 2014, 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018, 2019, 2020, 2021)
Montreal - 7 (2007, 2010, 2012, 2015, 2016, 2017, 2019)
Shanghai - 6 (2008, 2011, 2014, 2015, 2016, 2017, 2019)
Barcelona - 6 (2014, 2017, 2018, 2019, 2020, 2021)
Yas Marina - 5 (2011, 2014, 2016, 2018, 2019)
Monza - 5 (2012, 2014, 2015, 2017, 2018)
Circuit of the Americas - 5 (2012, 2014, 2015, 2016, 2017)
Bahrain - 5 (2014, 2015, 2019, 2020, 2021)
Sochi - 5 (2014, 2015, 2018, 2019, 2021)
Singapore - 4 (2009, 2014, 2017, 2018)
Spa-Francorchamps - 4 (2010, 2015, 2017, 2020)
Suzuka - 4 (2014, 2015, 2017, 2018)
Monte Carlo - 3 (2008, 2016, 2019)
Hockenheimring - 3 (2008, 2016, 2018)
Albert Park - 2 (2008, 2015)
Istanbul Park - 2 (2010, 2020)
Nurburgring - 2 (2011, 2020)
Red Bull Ring - 2 (2016, 2020)
Mexico City - 2 (2016, 2019)
Interlagos - 2 (2016, 2018)
Paul Ricard - 2 (2018, 2019)
Portimao - 2 (2020, 2021)
Indianapolis - 1 (2007)
Fuji - 1 (2007)
Sepang - 1 (2014)
Baku - 1 (2018)
Mugello - 1 (2020)
Imola - 1 (2020)
