Time running out as Lewis Hamilton concedes winning in 2022 is near-impossible

Lewis Hamilton fears he will end the season without recording a single victory for the first time in his Formula 1 career after describing Max Verstappen as "almost unbeatable".

Verstappen could clinch his second world championship at the next round in Singapore on 2 October after taking the 11th win of his title defence at Sunday's Italian Grand Prix.

Hamilton started 19th and finished fifth in Monza, but the seven-time world champion faces losing his record of claiming at least one win in each of the seasons he has competed in since his debut campaign in 2007.

"We have to be realistic," said Hamilton, 37. "That Red Bull is almost unbeatable. It's going to take some real doing to beat that car.

"Performance-wise, we have not caught them, and we don't have upgrades coming to enable us to overtake them. So it's going to take some fortune going our way to win. It's not impossible, because we could have beaten them in Budapest. But Max is generally chilled at the front, so you can never tell their true pace."

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Verstappen's in command

Verstappen's fifth win in succession sees him hold a commanding 116-point lead over Ferrari's Charles Leclerc with only six rounds remaining and 164 points available.

Suppose Verstappen is victorious in Singapore and gains a bonus point for the fastest lap. In that case, he will be crowned champion of the world for a second time if Leclerc is no higher than eighth, and Red Bull teammate Sergio Perez does not finish on the podium.

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In Monza, Verstappen's drive from seventh to first ended behind the safety car after