If Verstappen wins the Marina Bay Grand Prix and sets the fastest lap, he will claim the title if Charles Leclerc is ninth or lower and teammate Sergio Perez is fifth or worse.
It becomes 10th for Leclerc if Verstappen takes the win but does not score the bonus point for fastest lap.
Should Red Bull driver Verstappen, who holds a 116-point pre-race lead, finish second or lower, his seemingly inevitable second crown will await the Japanese GP.
If Verstappen gets the job done this weekend, he’ll be level with Michael Schumacher.
The German holds the record for the first title victory, claiming the 2002 crown with five races to go, while Hamilton took the spoils twice with three races to go.
While Mercedes driver Hamilton acknowledged his early success had been bad for the show, he said he would “feel for the fans” if Verstappen won it so soon.
Speaking in Singapore on Thursday, Hamilton said: “From my perspective, I don’t really think much about [Verstappen sealing his second consecutive title].
“Certainly, I feel for the fans. For everyone and even for us last year, until the end, it was intense for everyone.
Lando Norris, McLaren, Alex Albon, Williams Racing, Esteban Ocon, Alpine F1 Team, Mick Schumacher, Haas F1 Team, Lewis Hamilton, Mercedes AMG, at a press conference
Photo by: Carl Bingham / Motorsport Images
“It’s never great when the season ends early. Even when I’ve had the experience of it ending early in places like Mexico. For you as an individual, it’s great. But for the sport itself, it’s not spectacular.
“I’m really grateful to have had like 2008 until the last 17 seconds and obviously last year was pretty much the same. Hopefully for the future it’s a bit better.”
Expanding on how he sees the rest of his own season having worked to help troubleshoot the difficult Mercedes W13, Hamilton continued: “For me, I always enjoy the challenge and I’m proud of the strength and growth within our team in terms of relationships, in terms of our purpose.
“Just seeing how hard everyone works in a team is the most inspiring thing for me.
“They’re leaving the racetrack, flying over Sunday night, they’re in the office Monday, trying to come up with solutions, trying to crack the code.
“It’s really impressive because it’s just relentless this season. I know everyone is looking forward to the break.”
