Verstappen targets F1 domination after second world title

Max Verstappen said he was capable of dominating Formula One for years to come after clinching his second straight world title at the Japanese Grand Prix on Sunday.

The Red Bull driver won a dramatic, rain-shortened race in Suzuka and claimed the championship when his nearest rival Charles Leclerc was relegated to third by a five-second penalty.

The flying Dutchman said it was a "crazy feeling" to lift the trophy for a second time -- then set his sights on ruling the sport for years to come.

"If I have a competitive car, I'm confident that we can keep this going," said the 25-year-old, who has won 12 of 18 races this season.

"It also depends on what the competition is going to come up with. I really believe in this group and I really hope that in the coming years we can enjoy a lot more wins and potentially of course championships."

Verstappen was only informed he had retained his title midway through the post-race TV interview, and even the driver himself was not sure.

Ferrari's Leclerc crossed the line second in front of Red Bull's Sergio Perez, but he was hit with a penalty after squeezing Perez in the final chicane and being deemed to have gained an advantage by leaving the track.

"I made a mistake and tried to minimise it," said Leclerc, who led the championship early in the season. "Huge congratulations to Max and Red Bull. Max has been incredible and it's a title fully deserved."

The amended result gave Verstappen an unassailable 113-point lead over Perez and made him only the third driver after Michael Schumacher and Sebastian Vettel to clinch the title with four races to spare.

"I was told I was the world champion, we celebrated and then people told me 'no, you're still missing a point'," he said of the post-race