Mika Häkkinen believes Max Verstappen is capable of breaking more Formula 1 records – but in his opinion, further world championship titles will not be a foregone conclusion
Max Verstappen is currently going from record to record. Having recently become world champion three times in a row, the Dutchman will inevitably start the new Formula 1 season as the favorite again in 2024. But Mika Häkkinen warns against congratulating him on his fourth title before the first test
In an interview with Bild, the two-time world champion explains: “How often have there been teams and drivers who, even before the first round of testing, were considered certain world champions and then didn’t become them? Too often.”
Although he is also “of the opinion that Red Bull and Max Verstappen in particular will be the measure of all things [in 2024]”, he clarifies, he also emphasizes: “You shouldn’t hand them the trophies before even one metre has been driven.”
This is another reason why he believes it is premature to discuss whether Verstappen could one day break Michael Schumacher and Lewis Hamilton’s record and even win eight world championship titles. The Dutchman is “well on the way”, says Häkkinen.
“But you shouldn’t be too hasty there either. What Max has achieved in recent years is incredible. But he still needs four more world championship titles to catch up. Max has the talent to become the best of all time, but it’s not just down to him,” he emphasizes.
Sebastian Vettel as a warning example for Verstappen?
“Everything has to fit,” explains Häkkinen and reminds us that it won’t work without a suitably fast car and a strong team. “That was the case with Lewis and Michael. That’s why they were able to shape an era,” he emphasizes.
When asked who could pose a threat to Verstappen and Red Bull in 2024, Häkkinen mentions his former team. “I expect a lot from McLaren. After a disastrous start to the season last year, they have developed very well and, above all, consistently,” he praises.
“With Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri, they probably have the strongest driver pairing next to Ferrari,” says the Finn, who was twice world champion with McLaren in 1998 and 1999. Incidentally, he himself only celebrated his first race win in 1997 at the age of 29.
Verstappen, meanwhile, already has three world championship titles to his name at the age of just 26. However, this does not make him the youngest three-time world champion in Formula 1 history, as Sebastian Vettel had already won four world championships by the age of 26.
However, the example of Vettel also shows how quickly an era can end. After the German became world champion four times in a row with Red Bull between 2010 and 2013, he did not win another title until his retirement at the end of 2022.
Häkkinen is now warning of precisely such a scenario in the case of Verstappen.
