Reigning Formula 1 world champion Max Verstappen has been named the 2022 Laureus World Sportsman of the Year, following his title triumph last season.
The 24-year-old Red Bull driver – who took a dominant victory in Sunday’s Emilia Romagna Grand Prix – claimed 10 pole positions,10 victories and finished on the podium a record 18 times last season, en route to what was the first ever Formula 1 World Championship to be won by a Dutch driver.
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And his achievements were enough to see him earn the prestigious Laureus World Sportsman of the Year Award, an accolade previously held by such titans of their sports as Lionel Messi in football, Roger Federer in tennis, and F1 drivers Michael Schumacher, Sebastian Vettel and Lewis Hamilton – who Verstappen pipped to the title in 2021.
Revealing his thoughts after being announced as the award’s winner, Verstappen said: “I was very happy, of course, but it was a lot of hard work and years of preparation. I’m incredibly proud. Since I was a little kid I dreamt of being on the top step and winning the championship. I said to my dad [former Formula 1 driver Jos Verstappen], ‘We did it, this is what we worked for all these years and now we are here, the two of us, all the memories, all the years of travelling all over Europe, going for that one goal and we achieved it.’