At the Laureus World Sports Awards, Max Verstappen was named Sportsman of the Year and the McLaren team received a nomination in the Team of the Year category.
Verstappen was already crowned in 2022, as a two-time F1 world champion, to receive this prestigious award. However, this year the Red Bull racer has to face serious competition, with tennis player Carlos Alcaraz and two-time Olympic champion Armand Duplantis, a pole vaulter, also among the nominees.
This is not F1's only connection to Laureus, as last year's success by Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri meant McLaren won the F1 constructors' title for the first time since 1998. That success also led to the nomination, but the contenders here are no newcomers, with the Spanish national football team, Real Madrid players, the Boston Celtics in the NBA and the US men's basketball team all vying for the title.
McLaren will have a much tougher task to win, as the last F1 team to win the award was in 2018 after four consecutive constructors' titles. I don't think I need to introduce them to you. April 21, 2025 will show whether Norris can follow in Mercedes' footsteps.
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