Verstappen has done ’exceptional job’, Hamilton says
BBC – Lewis Hamilton has praised Max Verstappen for doing "an exceptional job" as the Red Bull driver stands on the brink of a third consecutive title.
Verstappen will win the Formula 1 drivers' championship in today's sprint race in Qatar as long as team-mate Sergio Perez does not score at least six more points than him.
Hamilton said: "Max has been faultless and no-one can take that away from him.
"He has done an amazing job with the package he has."
Ahead of Verstappen's expected coronation this weekend, Hamilton added: "He and the team have been phenomenal. They've raised the bar."
The winner of the sprint – a shorter race than a grand prix of about half an hour – earns eight points, with a sliding scale down to one point for eighth.
Verstappen will be champion once again if he finishes at least sixth in the sprint, no matter what Perez does.
There is no avoiding that fact for Verstappen, but he is focused simply on winning this weekend.
The Dutchman, who has won 13 of the 16 races held so far this season, 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."
Verstappen said he had no feelings either way as to whether winning it in a sprint race would be an anti-climax.
"If it's Saturday or Sunday, I don't think it matters a lot," Verstappen said. "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.
"The car is in a really great window, except Singapore [last month], but all the other races it was really nice to drive. But it is still easy when driving on the limit to make mistakes and that is what I try to eliminate."
Verstappen was also lauded by a series of his rivals.
Perez, who has won just two races, said: "Max has done a tremendous job. He has driven on another level compared to anyone else."
Aston Martin's Fernando Alonso added: "An incredible season, breaking so many records, and when you win so many races – and they were not easy races, sometimes they were tricky with weather conditions we went through, June, July all the races were hit by rain – and when you make no mistakes and deliver the job every weekend, it is big respect."