Dutch Formula One driver Max Verstappen had a spectacular win on Sunday at the Miami Grand Prix, but lost out to Lionel Messi who bagged the prestigious ‘Sportsman of the Year’ Laureus Award the very next day.
Mondays can be hard for everybody, no matter if you’re a teacher, a lawyer — or even Dutch Formula One World Champion Max Verstappen.
Verstappen races to first place in Miami
Due to a poor qualifying session the day before, Verstappen started further back on the grid, but refused to let that stop him. Despite starting the race in ninth place, he swiftly rocketed up the ranks to first place by 21 laps — not even halfway through the race, reports NU.nl.
In fact, the Dutch-Belgium driver seemed to effortlessly take first place, where he was joined by Sergio Pérez and Fernando Alonso in second and third place, respectively.
Simply… lovely!
— Max Verstappen (@Max33Verstappen) May 7, 2023
What a great win today! A very strong race 🙌
The car felt really good and the strategy paid off perfectly @redbullracing 👏 This is a fantastic 1-2 team result again, let’s keep this going 💪
Thank you, Miami – You have been great🌴 pic.twitter.com/FdTdxeMITR
With this win in his pocket, Verstappen has taken yet more points to strengthen his 119 point lead in the World Cup standings, 14 more than his Red Bull teammate Sergio Pérez.
Yet Messi nabs 2023’s ‘Sportsman of the Year’
Despite Verstappen taking home the Miami Grand Prix trophy, world-famous football player Lionel Messi beat him to the prestigious Laureus Award ‘Sportsman of the Year’ trophy the very next day, reports NU.nl.
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Verstappen and Messi also faced tough competition from the other nominees. These included the Dutch tennis player Diede de Groot, Dutch cyclist Annemiek van Vleuten, football player Kylian Mbappé, tennis player Rafael Nadal, pole vaulter Armand Duplantis, and basketball player Stephen Curry.
Taking home the prize, however, was the Argentinian football player that led his national team to its first World Cup win since 1986.
Whilst not bagging the win this year, Verstappen was named the ‘Sportsman of the Year’ in 2022.
Who do you think should’ve won the Laureus Award this year? Tell us your thoughts in the comments below!