Hamilton offers Verstappen rare praise

Sam Hall
Saturday 12 November 2022 06:00

Lewis Hamilton has praised the "amazing" record-breaking season of reigning F1 champion Max Verstappen.

The two drivers were embroiled in a bitter rivalry last year in a title race that went down to the final lap of the last race of the campaign in Abu Dhabi.

But the current season has been a much more one-sided affair, with Verstappen scoring 14 wins from 20 races and securing his second crown with four races to spare.

Reflecting on Verstappen's achievements this season, Hamilton said: “I can’t say that I’ve had time to study every aspect of what Max has done this year but I think he has done an amazing job.

"He has done everything that he had to do."

Just as Hamilton has experienced in the majority of seasons since Mercedes began to dominate F1 from 2014, Verstappen has benefitted from an extremely strong package provided by his team.

Although this advantage can be used to discredit a driver's achievements, Hamilton made clear his rival still had to do the job behind the wheel.

“The team provided him with an amazing car and he has delivered pretty much every weekend," he added. "I know he can be proud of the job he has done.

"I know what it feels to be in a position like that and he’s got a chance to win the next two races so he could take that record that he now has even further if we can’t stop him or Ferrari can’t stop him.

“There’s not really a lot more to say. He’s done a great job.”