Lewis Hamilton has praised Max Verstappen ahead of this weekend's Qatar Grand Prix.

Two-time defending world Formula 1 champion Verstappen will seal a third-straight drivers' championship in Saturday's sprint race, so long as team-mate Sergio Perez does not score at least six more points than the Dutchman.

And Hamilton — who won four of his seven championships before Verstappen broke the Brit's monopoly in 2021 — has saluted his Red Bull rival.

The Mercedes driver, 38, 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."

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

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

The 26-year-old continued: "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.

"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."

Aston Martin's Fernando Alonso sits behind Verstappen, Perez and Hamilton in the drivers' standings before this weekend's action at the Lusail International Circuit.

The Spaniard added on Verstappen's feats this year: "An incredible season, breaking so many records.

"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 — when you make no mistakes and deliver the job every weekend, it is big respect."