Max Verstappen hasn't had to do “any defendant response,” insists Lewis Hamilton after the Red Bull driver inches closer to his 3rd F1 title

Lewis Hamilton feels that Max Verstappen is not defending his world championship streak because of the lack of competition he is facing at the top this season.

Max Verstappen, on winning the Japanese Grand Prix, got up to 400 points; 177 ahead of his teammate Sergio Pérez, who is at 223. This has given him ample of opportunities to grab the title as soon as the Sprint at Qatar this weekend.

This is one of the most dominant seasons that a driver has ever experienced in the history of Formula 1. It was, in fact, quite apparent after just a couple of races this season that it would be Verstappen who would win the world championship.

Like him, Lewis Hamilton was the driver who dominated for a long time in the sport. When the former champion was asked what it takes for a driver to defend their title for a second consecutive season, he stated that Verstappen hasn't really defended his title this season. This, according to him, is because of the sheer hold he had at the top:

"Yeah, I mean he is not defending, really. Definitely not had to do any defending, this one. But he's done an exceptional job! He's been faultless."

On the other hand, Lewis Hamilton has been trying to give his best finish this season, keeping Mercedes up on second place in the Constructors' standings. He finished on the podium a handful of times initially, which has given them the lead over their competition.

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Lewis Hamilton positive about Andretti entering F1, but feels there could be resistance from people

Andretti Formula Racing LLC's application to enter Formula 1 as a new team was earlier approved by the FIA. The team is now going to the next step to discuss commercial terms with Formula One Management.

When asked, Lewis Hamilton stated that he was glad for a team like Andretti to join the grid because he feels that there should be more cars on the grid. But he also mentioned that some people might not appreciate it.

"I think it’s great. I think in F1, I’ve always felt that there weren’t enough cars on the grid.

"There will definitely be people that won’t be happy for me to be so supportive of it! But I think it’s great."

Lewis Hamilton believes that there would be more opportunities than just better racing because another team would introduce more commercial profits, especially employment. PlanetF1 quoted him as saying:

"It’s an opportunity for more jobs. There’s another two seats available for a potential female driver to come through. It opens up more possibilities, and I think it’ll be more exciting for the race."