Winner
Aged just 24, driving for the impressive Red Bull team led by Christian Horner, he had ten Grand Prix wins during the year and a record 18 podium finishes.
Won his first Formula One World Championship in 2021 after one of the most thrilling contests ever seen in the sport, overtaking seven-time world champion Lewis Hamilton at turn five in a nail-biting last lap finish in the final Grand Prix of the season in Abu Dhabi.
Belgian-born, the son of former driver Jos Verstappen, he is the first Dutch driver to win the Formula One World Championship. He was the youngest ever driver to compete in F1 in 2015 at the Australian Grand Prix, when he was aged 17 years 166 days. He was also the youngest winner, aged 18 years 228 days, in Barcelona.
SPORTSMAN

A big thank you to everyone voting for me from the Laureus Academy. A very special year, a very hectic year because the pressure was always on. I couldn’t do this without the team behind me, the people back at the factory.

MAX VERSTAPPEN
What Max Verstappen said on receiving the Laureus Statuette: “A big thank you to everyone voting for me from the Laureus Academy. A very special year, a very hectic year because the pressure was always on. I couldn’t do this without the team behind me, the people back at the factory. It was an incredible effort that we won the championship. I want to give a special mention also to my Dad [Former Formula One driver Jos Verstappen]. Without him, I wouldn’t be standing here today and I appreciate every moment we share together in this success story and hopefully many more to come.
“I was very happy, of course, but it was a lot of hard work and years of preparation. I’m incredibly proud. Since I was a little kid I was dreaming of being on the top step and winning the championship. Afterwards, I said to my Dad ‘We did it, this is what we worked for all these years and now we are here, the two of us, all the memories, all the years of travelling all over Europe, going for that one goal and we achieved it’.
Max Verstappen Acceptance Speech
On the victory in Abu Dhabi: “At the time it all went so fast. I knew I had to go for the overtake, I had to win the championship, I knew I had different kinds of tyres, but all the stress from the whole year probably came out. Yes, you’re under a lot of pressure, but once we were in the lead and I was going into the final sector, I knew we had it in the bag.”
On his Red Bull Team: “Without the team, you cannot perform, that’s why I think Formula One is sometimes a bit different to other sports. I can be as fit as I can be, but you need your car, you need your team to deliver the car for you and that’s why if you bring all that together you can get an amazing result and fight for a championship. I think from both sides we’re very thankful that we’ve met and that’s why we’ve signed an even longer deal together. What’s next? Hopefully, we can win a few more and then besides that, I want to do some other things as well in my life and racing, well outside of Formula One, but that’s coming at a later stage.”
Christian Horner, Team Principal of the Red Bull Team, said: “Max, congratulations. Everyone in the team is proud of everything that you have achieved. You thoroughly deserve this Award. Let’s try and do it again in 2022.”

WHAT LAUREUS WORLD SPORTS ACADEMY MEMBERS SAID:

Two-time Formula One world champion Emerson Fittipaldi: “I would like to congratulate Max on his amazing year. Everyone talks about the drama of the finish in Abu Dhabi, but for me, it was his brilliant driving throughout the whole year that gave us such an exciting season. The top-class sport needs top-class competition, and Formula One is a sport where you need to be daring to win. Max has already shown that he is continuing in 2022 where he left off in 2021. It should be another great year.”
EMERSON-FITTIPALDI

This guy is an unbelievable talent with a hunger for winning, but also he is down to earth. I think Max gave Formula One the spark back that it needs.

Ruud Gullit, Laureus academy
Fellow Dutch sports legend Ruud Gullit: “This guy is an unbelievable talent with a hunger for winning, but also he is down to earth. That's something that the Dutch like. Despite all the setbacks he had last year, he still won the Championship and I think that Formula One has never had such a finish for a long, long time. I think Max gave Formula One the spark back that it needs.”
RUUD-GULLIT

Why is Max Verstappen a special driver? Lewis Hamilton, why are they, special drivers? It's a very long term development of what’s happening inside the head of these drivers.

Mika Hakkinen, Laureus academy member
Two-time Formula One World Champion Mika Hakkinen: “Why is Max Verstappen a special driver? Lewis Hamilton, why are they, special drivers? It's a very long term development of what’s happening inside the head of these drivers. The body you can always do, build up your fitness, your muscles, nutrition, whatever it is, you can build all this, but what's happening in your head? What's happening with your concentration, your confidence, and your will to win? Where's that coming from. It's a really long journey to be a world champion race winner, it's a long term development from your childhood; how your parents are developing your thinking; where do you get your confidence? Is it because you were winning in go-karts and winning a championship? Or did you get the confidence from home? All these matters. All these things are important elements and it's a long journey why somebody is coming so strong and they have confidence inside their head. Not arrogant, just confident. And you can serve this confidence inside in a team, with team members: is it the mechanic; is it the cleaning lady in a factory; is it designers; engineers? Whatever you know. It's a team.”
MIKA-HAKKINEN

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