The Formula one driver Max Verstappen representing Red Bull Racing, has been nominated for the “25th Laureus World Sports Awards 2024”.
Having already claimed the title of sportsman of the year in 2022, the Dutch racer now has the opportunity to secure it once more, driven by his dominant 2023 season, during which he won an impressive 19 out of 22 Grand Prix races.
The Dutchman in 2022, became only the fourth driver to receive the prestigious award following Michael Schumacher, Lewis Hamilton, and Sebastian Vettel. If he wins again, he will join Schumacher as the second F1 driver to win more than once.
This Time, the battle looks very intense because the nominees includes the greatest sportsmen from their respective sports.
Despite an incredible performance from Max in 2022, the award was given to Lionel Messi because he won the World Cup so this time max has a chance to double his redemption and clinch the title
However, let’s delve further into the article to know who all are nominated for this prestigious award? Additionally, Why should Max Verstappen be considered the deserving winner this year?
What achievements make Max Verstappen stand out as the most deserving candidate for the 2024 Laureus Awards?
Max Verstappen in 2023 has multiple achievements to his and his team’s name which can bring this award to F1 community.
In 2023, Max became the only F1 driver to achieve 19 out of 22 race victories, breaking his own record of winning 15 races in a season in 2022.
Verstappen made history by winning all three Grand Prix races in one country (USA) in 2023, becoming the first driver to achieve this feat in a single year. He started with a win at the Miami GP in May, followed by victories in Austin and Vegas.
Other than this, he holds the F1 ‘s most wins from pole position in a season, most hattricks in a season, most points, Podiums, laps and many more to his name in 2023.
Despite winning the award in 2022, Verstappen fans are rooting for him to bring the trophy home again this time.
Max Verstappen deserves it for this year.
19 Wins from the 22 races is INSANE https://t.co/u5lgH1hD1R
— Thijmen (@FCB_Thijmen) February 27, 2024
On social media, not only Max’s fans but the entire community is expressing their support for Max due to his incredible performance in 2023.
Tbh I think max deserves to win this he’s had one of the most dominant seasons ever in f1 and compared to messi who hasn’t really done much of note this year max definitely deserves more recognition for his sheer skill at racing outside of f1
— Ult_a (@ult_a95348) February 26, 2024
Nominees Apart From Max And Messi
In addition to Verstappen and Messi, Novak Djokovic (Tennis), Mondo Duplantis (Athletics), Noah Lyles (Athletics), and Erling Haaland (Soccer) have also been nominated.
Fans claim that apart from Max Verstappen, Novak Djokovic could also be a contender for the award, despite Verstappen having a great season.
However, this nomination is particularly significant for Verstappen because it also includes his team, Red Bull’s nomination.
The Milton Keynes side showed supreme dominance last year by winning 21 out of 22 races. Therefore, he has the opportunity to match the record set by Lionel Messi, who last year became the first athlete to win both the team and sportsman of the year awards.
The nomination process is now complete, and fans will have to wait until April 22nd to find out the results.
Gaurang is a writer at the SportsOrbit covering articles related to F1,Gaurang was 14 when he cared more about playing football than studying. But when COVID hit and he had to stay home, he discovered Formula 1. It immediately caught his interest. Since then, he’s been really into Formula 1, watching every race and learning all about it. He still loves football, but now he’s also a big fan of Formula 1, especially Lewis Hamilton. Even though he loves racing, he still looks up to Cristiano Ronaldo as his idol.