Max Verstappen Loses 2 ‘Sportsman of the Year’ Awards on the Same Day

Max Verstappen truly embodied the song “Super Max” this year and broke almost every record that he could during the 2023 F1 season. Even Jos Verstappen compared his son to Superman in a recent interview. And despite all these accomplishments, Max Verstappen lost two Sportsman of the Year awards, that too on the same day. Who were the ones who beat the 3X champ? 

Max Verstappen won his 3rd Drivers’ Championship in style with 19 wins out of 22. Apart from the record for most wins, Verstappen also set the record for the highest percentage of wins at 86% toppling Alberto Ascari’s record of 75% set in 1952. Accompanying these were records like the most points in a season, the most laps led in a season, the most consecutive race wins, and the most podiums scored by a driver in a season. The list just goes on and is a long one. 

And despite all these records and never-seen dominance, Max Verstappen lost two ‘Sportsman of the Year’ awards. The first of which was the BBC Sports Star of the Year award. Verstappen was nominated alongside Erling Haaland, Siya Kolisi, Simone Biles, Novak Djoković, and Aitana Bonmati. It was the Manchester City striker Erling Haaland, who took the award home with Siya Kolisi, South Africa’s Rugby Team Captain in second. Max Verstappen, who finished 1st a habit in 2023, only managed to finish 3rd. 

What’s even more surprising was that on the very same day, Max Verstappen lost another ‘Sportsman of the Year’ award. In a Gala organized by the NOC*NSF, a Dutch organization, the Sportsman, Sports Woman, and Sports Team of the Year was announced. Max Verstappen lost to the 2023 cyclo-cross world champion and world road champion this year Mathieu van der Poel. The Dutch cyclist also clinched victory in this year’s classics Milan-Sanremo and Paris-Roubaix. Max Verstappen previously won this award in 2016, 2021 and 2022.

Read More: Can Red Bull Continue the 2023 Dominance into the Upcoming F1 Season?

While not an ideal situation, Max Verstappen has many times expressed how he doesn’t care about anything but racing and being at the top of his game. And that is what the Dutchman most certainly accomplished this year. But will he be able to showcase the same dominance next year?

Minardi believes Max Verstappen and Red Bull have yet to show their full potential 

Max Verstappen at the 2023 FIA Gala acknowledged how the RB19 will always be one of the greatest cars that he ever drove and that he’s sad to let it go. He advised how it will be difficult to replicate similar success in 2024, but will be happy to win 10 races and take the championship home. However, Giancarlo Minardi suggests that Verstappen only showed a highlight of his full potential in 2023 and has more to give.

Minardi said, “They [Red Bull] have an advantage that I think is difficult to fill at the moment. Analyzing the races of 2023 well, I got the idea that Verstappen never saw the best of his possibilities. And that doesn’t make us hope that much. And then from England, I get news that their 2024 car is even better.”

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