Hamilton believes Verstappen should be pleased of his "great job" in motor racing

Lewis Hamilton, a seven-time Formula One world champion, praised powerful Red Bull competitor Max Verstappen for his "great job" in capturing a second championship this year and said he should be proud of his accomplishment.

Last month, Verstappen, 25, won his second consecutive title with four races remaining.

Verstappen won the race in 2021 after Hamilton and the Dutch driver duelled until the very last lap after former race director Michael Masi controversially changed the safety car re-start process.

Verstappen has won a record 14 of the remaining 20 races for Red Bull, outpacing Hamilton's Mercedes squad by a wide margin.

"I think he did a fantastic job; he took care of everything he needed to. He has delivered almost every weekend since the team gave him an excellent car, Hamilton told reporters at the Sao Paulo Grand Prix on Thursday.

The 37-year-old British player, who is yet to win this year, continued, "He can be proud of the job he's done, I know what it feels like to be in a position like that."

In addition, Red Bull has won the constructors' world championship for the first time since 2013, ending Mercedes' eight-year winning streak. Mercedes is 40 points behind second-placed Ferrari.

Getting the runner-up spot, according to Hamilton, was crucial for the team's employees because it meant bigger incentives at a time when Britain's cost of living was spiralling out of control due to skyrocketing energy prices.

He remarked, "I'm told and I can see how essential and meaningful that is for them.

The Brazilian lower house of Congress granted honorary citizenship to Hamilton this week, and he has since visited a slum in Rio de Janeiro and interacted with kids from a social project there.

The Britishman claimed he was more thrilled to be in Brazil than Nevada, where he had previously attended an event to promote next year's first Las Vegas Grand Prix.

(source : Reuters)