'It is not so obvious that Verstappen is going to dominate F1 now'

Mika Hakkinen praises Max Verstappen's season, but the also two-time world champion does not think Verstappen will dominate Formula 1 for a while now.

After a hard-fought first world title in 2021, the Red Bull driver managed to prolong his title in 2022. It was under lower resistance, though, as Ferrari and Charles Leclerc could not put up the fight over a full season that the duel with Lewis Hamilton and Mercedes had provided.

Opportunity for Verstappen's competitors

"He has done a great job with a great team and great engineers," Hakkinen said of Verstappen's performance opposite Sky Sports. The Finn himself also became a two-time world champion and his cars were also designed by Adrian Newey. While many now expect Verstappen to dominate in the coming years, Hakkinen does not expect that to be so easy.

''Regulations of Formula 1 are different now than it used to be in my time, or used to be three or four years ago. That gives a lot of opportunities to other teams for success. I don't think it is so straight forward that he will continue to dominate, even as he's a great driver. I am sure we will see some surprises," concluded the two-time world champion.