Lewis Hamilton’s verdict on Max Verstappen as third F1 championship edges closer

Verstappen will seal his third title in a row in Saturday’s sprint race at the F1 Qatar Grand Prix if he finishes at least sixth.

Hamilton, who was denied an all-time record eighth title at the notorious 2021 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix which ushered in Red Bull and Verstappen’s era of dominance, has doffed his cap.

"Max has been faultless and no-one can take that away from him,” Hamilton was quoted by BBC.

"He has done an amazing job with the package he has.

“He and the team have been phenomenal. They've raised the bar."

Verstappen said; "We are having an amazing year and we just come into this weekend and want to win again.

"And of course I know if I win or whatever on Saturday I win the championship, but we are just very focused on the main job.

"If it's Saturday or Sunday, I don't think it matters a lot. It's always nice to win it at the first possible opportunity.

"To win three championships in a row is never easy. You need a very good car, but I always try to be consistent and not to have too many mistakes.”

Hamilton previously remembered his own third title, which drew him level with Ayrton Senna’s tally.

“For me, I didn’t think about all the other champions. I only thought about Ayrton,” Hamilton said.

“For me as a kid, the dream was to get to F1, then the dream ‘I hope I can do something like Ayrton’. Then I got a world championship. Then I got three. 

“When I eventually got three, it was very surreal to think that I had equalled as many wins and pole positions. That’s what blew my mind, for me. 

“But then, of course, it does put you on the list with all the greats. Which is a very honorary list.”