In the early morning of April 25, Beijing time, Verstappen, the Dutch driver who played for Red Bull Racing and the world champion of the 2021 F1 driver, won the 2022 Laureus World Sports Awards Best Male Athlete of the Year Award. Just a few hours ago, he won the fourth leg of the 2022 F1 Grand Prix at the Imola circuit in Italy.
On Sunday's Imola, Verstappen, who started from pole position, rode to the dust, leaving no opportunity for competitors to take advantage of, crossing the finish line in 1 hour, 32 minutes and 986 seconds, and scoring 26 points. His teammate Perez grabbed the second place at the start of the train, and in this wet environment, he competed fiercely with Ferrari driver Leclerc, playing the role of Verstappen's "wingman" well, and finally finished second in the substation. Ferrari, who played at home in two home games, was transported home: Sainz, in the first corner of the first lap of the race, and McLaren driver Cardo reproduced the Saturday sprint, the collision between Alfa Romeo's Chinese driver Zhou Guanyu and Alfa tarry driver Gasly, Sainz withdrew from the race, and Leclerc, who was expected to finish as runner-up, handled consecutive bending errors with only 10 laps left in the race, and the car crossed, and finally only finished sixth. However, after the race, Leclerc still led the drivers' standings with 86 points, Verstappen finished second with 59 points after winning his second title of the season, and his teammate Perez was third with 54 points.
Verstappen (right) with father (former F1 driver Verstappen Sr.)
A few hours later, at the 2022 Laureus World Sports Awards in Seville, Spain, Verstappen won the Male Athlete of the Year award with 18 podium finishes, 10 races and the first Dutch Driver of the Year in F1 history. "I'm happy and very proud, but behind this is years of hard work and preparation. From the time I was a kid, I dreamed of reaching the top and winning championships. "I was the first Dutch driver to win the F1 world championship, so when I returned to the Netherlands, the reaction of the media and fans was overwhelming and I will never forget." This award means a lot to me, it's one of the highest in the world, and I'm so grateful to all the members of the Lawrence Athletic Society who voted for me, it's been a very special year for me, and certainly a very busy one, because the pressure is always there, but that's what we love. ”
It is also worth mentioning that Jamaican Olympic sprinter Elaine Thompson Hera was named Best Female Athlete at the 2022 Laureus World Sports Awards.