Max Verstappen has been named as the Laureus World Sportsman of the Year for winning the 2021 F1 title, as Valentino Rossi gets Sporting Icon Award.
After no one from motor sport side won any award in 2021, the 2022 Laureus Award saw two winners with Red Bull’s Verstappen being named as World Sportsman of the Year Award for winning the 2021 F1 title against Lewis Hamilton.
It was a controversial end to the season, but Verstappen had a solid year overall with 10 wins and 18 podiums. The Dutchman beats Caeleb Dressel (Swimmer), Eliud Kipchoge (Athletics), Tennis legend Novak Djokovic (Tennis), Robert Lewandowski (Football) and Tom Brady (American Football) in the list.
This is his first Laureus Award in his second nomination as Verstappen joins Michael Schumacher (2000 & 2004), Sebastian Vettel (2014) and Lewis Hamilton (2020), to win the World Sportsman of the Year award.
“It was a very crazy and hectic year, and I was very happy to come out on top,” said Verstappen. “It was my dream come true, what I worked for from a very young age. There’s a whole team behind me, so many people working on basically two cars to give me that opportunity to win the Championship and this Award.”
Here’s what the release said: “If the courage to compete until the very end, to not lose hope in the face of extreme adversity, is a mark of sporting greatness, then few embodied it more than Max Verstappen in 2021. The Dutchman secured his first World Championship at the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix in December, but it was the circumstances of his victory that resonated around the world and earned him the Laureus World Sportsman of the Year Award.
“After a season-long duel with Lewis Hamilton, Verstappen scripted a Hollywood ending by overtaking his arch-rival and reigning champion at turn five on the final lap after a safety car had allowed him to close what had appeared to be an insurmountable gap between them. It was a fitting finale to a remarkable season in which Verstappen’s strength of character carried him to a record 18 podium finishes, including at the Russian Grand Prix, where he began at the back of the grid and ended with a second-place finish – behind Hamilton.”
https://twitter.com/LaureusSport/status/1518295305925578753?s=20&t=zFuTUxF1tpe9y2dZIzrhyA
Among the other F1 nomination, Mercedes did not win the World Team of the Year where Italy Football Team took the trophy. Even MotoGP rider Marc Marquez lost the World Comeback of the Year award to Sky Brown (Skateboarding).
MotoGP legend Valentino Rossi, meanwhile, got the Sporting Icon Award. The Italian previously won Spirit of Sport Award (2006) and World Comeback of the Year (2011). “Congratulations on an amazing career. I’ve been inspired by your story and your personality, your career and your success. Congratulations on your award,” said surfing legend Kelly Slater.
https://twitter.com/LaureusSport/status/1518299056111591424?s=20&t=zFuTUxF1tpe9y2dZIzrhyA
Here’s the 2022 Laureus winner: https://www.laureus.com/world-sports-awards
