Iconic Lewis Hamilton and Max Verstappen F1 moment will NOT happen for first time in ten years

This F1 season is set to be the first time since 2015 that we have not had a single Lewis Hamilton-Max Verstappen one-two, unless something remarkable happens in Abu Dhabi.

Hamilton and Verstappen are two of the best racers of their generation in F1, and their battle for the title in 2021 was one of the greatest title battles that the sport has ever seen.

Since then, Verstappen has gone on to claim three more championships, and is in contention to claim his fifth consecutively this weekend, while things have gone from bad to worse for Hamilton.

He has only won two grands prix since 2021, and has not been in contention for another title, while a 2025 move to Ferrari has seen him have a torrid year, not even finishing on the podium once in a grand prix for his new team.

And if that run continues at the season-ending Abu Dhabi GP, not only will it be the first full season of Hamilton's career in which he has not claimed a podium, but it will also break another long-standing streak.

Hamilton and Verstappen have had a one-two finish in a grand prix at least once in every season since 2016 when Verstappen joined Red Bull, with even Hamilton's final season at Mercedes yielding one with the 2024 British GP.

The 2021 season was of course the year that saw the most one-two's between them, with 14 coming throughout that blockbuster year.

Will Hamilton and Verstappen achieve a one-two?

Verstappen has held up his end of the bargain in 2025, actually claiming seven grand prix victories, but Hamilton is having a torrid time of it, sat down in sixth in the drivers' championship.

Four-time champion Verstappen will likely have to win the Abu Dhabi GP on Sunday to have any chance of usurping Lando Norris for the drivers' championship title, but it is highly unlikely that Hamilton will be able to beat both of the other two championship protagonists to finish second.

Hamilton's qualifying form in recent weekends has been taking him out of contention for a podium almost immediately, with two consecutive Q1 exits coming in Vegas and Qatar.

However, Hamilton does love the Abu Dhabi track, winning there on five occasions, and even amid a poor 2024 season he achieved a brilliant result.

Having started the race in 16th, Hamilton rose through the pack to claim fourth position in his final race as a Mercedes driver.

While that result would've given Ferrari hope that they were getting the Hamilton from a few years ago for 2025, this year has suggested that a race victory - or even a second-place finish to keep the Verstappen one-two streak going - is well beyond Hamilton's reach in the SF-25.

READ MORE: Max Verstappen's 2026 team-mate announced as star OUT of F1

Written by

Sam Cook - Digital Journalist

Sam Cook is a talented young sports journalist and social media professional who now specialises in Formula 1, having previously worked as a football journalist and a local news reporter for a variety of different brands.

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