Formula 1: Lewis Hamilton record at risk after slow start

Throughout his entire Formula 1 career, Lewis Hamilton has only ever finished behind eight drivers in the point standings.

Max Verstappen’s 2021 Formula 1 world championship made him just the eighth driver to ever finish ahead of seven-time world champion Lewis Hamilton in the point standings, and he became the first driver to do so since Nico Rosberg won the title over his Mercedes teammate in 2016.

In 15 years, Hamilton has only not won the title on eight occasions, and he has never finished lower than fifth place in the standings. Only five drivers have finished ahead of the 37-year-old Briton in points more than once.

Here’s a list of the drivers who have ever finished ahead of him at all.

NOTE: Included beside the year are Hamilton’s finishes in the standings. Included beside the other names are the number of times each driver had finished ahead of him at that point.

• 2007 (2nd): Kimi Raikkonen (1)
• 2009 (5th): Jenson Button (1), Sebastian Vettel (1), Rubens Barrichello (1), Mark Webber (1)
• 2010 (4th): Sebastian Vettel (2), Fernando Alonso (1), Mark Webber (2)
• 2011 (5th): Sebastian Vettel (3), Jenson Button (2), Mark Webber (3), Fernando Alonso (2)
• 2012 (4th): Sebastian Vettel (4), Fernando Alonso (3), Kimi Raikkonen (2)
• 2013 (4th): Sebastian Vettel (5), Fernando Alonso (4), Mark Webber (4)
• 2016 (2nd): Nico Rosberg (1)
• 2021 (2nd): Max Verstappen (1)

To put this into perspective, all but one other non-rookie currently competing in the sport has finished behind at least 10 drivers in a single season at least once.

The lone exception is Alexander Albon, whose lower finish in the standings in two seasons is eighth place. Of course, that will likely change this year with him in a Williams.

But in 2022, there is a very good chance that multiple drivers could be added to this list of drivers who have beaten Hamilton. Mercedes have struggled to start the season, just as they anticipated. Despite the belief of some that they were bluffing (like they usually do), there don’t appear to be any quick fixes to the problems they are currently facing.

They do still sit in second place in the constructor standings, but that is only because of a late double retirement for Red Bull in the season-opening Bahrain Grand Prix. Without the fuel pump issues that cause these retirements for Verstappen and teammate Sergio Perez, Mercedes would be in a distant third behind Ferrari and Red Bull.

And there are doubts that they are even worthy of being considered the third best team at this point.

Through two races, Hamilton sits in fifth place in the standings, and he is coming off of a race that saw him finish behind drivers representing seven different teams.

Three of the four drivers ahead of him in points, teammate George Russell and Ferrari teammates Charles Leclerc and Carlos Sainz Jr., have never finished ahead of him in the standings.

And that list doesn’t even include Perez, who would easily be in the top four ahead of Hamilton if not for the Bahrain retirement.

Will Hamilton and the team figure something out and turn things around before it’s too late? Or is the 103-time Grand Prix winner in for the worst season of his career as he makes his second attempt to become the sport’s first ever eight-time world champion?

How many drivers will join the current list of eight who have ever finished ahead of him in points? Since 2009, only three drivers have been added to that list. We could very well see more than three added in 2022 alone.

The Australian Grand Prix is the next race on the schedule, and it is set to be broadcast live on ESPN from Albert Park Grand Prix Circuit beginning at 1:00 a.m. ET on Sunday, April 10.