Hakkinen: "None of this takes away from Max’s great drive"

Max Verstappen has already received many words of praise for his victory but Mika Hakkinen is the latest name to praise the Dutchman's performance.

"Max Verstappen produced a fantastic display," began Hakkinen in his column for Unibet. “This was a perfect way for Red Bull Racing to finish off a season in which they have provided the only serious opposition to Mercedes.”

Verstappen took not only the victory, but also the pole position. "This was Max's tenth Formula 1 win, but only his third pole position, which shows the extent to which Mercedes traditionally dominates qualifying and set themselves up for another win on Sunday.”

Hakkinen, however, did comment on Mercedes and their display in comparison. "Mercedes stopped development on their car some time ago, switching their attention to the 2021 and 2022 car projects, and I suspect this has played its part in them not being quite as dominant at the end of year.“

What is more, in Abu Dhabi, Mercedes is said to have reduced the engine performance. "But none of this takes away from Max’s great drive.“