At the Laureus World Sports Awards, Max Verstappen was nominated for Sportsman of the Year and the McLaren team was nominated for Team of the Year.
Verstappen was already crowned in 2022, winning this prestigious award as a two-time F1 world champion. However, the Red Bull driver will face serious competition this year, with tennis player Carlos Alcaraz and two-time Olympic pole vaulter Armand Duplantis also among the nominees.
This is not the only F1 aspect of Laureus, as the run of Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri last year meant that McLaren managed to win the F1 constructors' title for the first time since 1998. This success also earned a nomination, but the opponents here are not small-sided either, as the Spanish national football team, Real Madrid's footballers, the Boston Celtics NBA team and the Team USA men's basketball team are all vying for the title.
McLaren will have a much harder time winning, as the last time a Formula 1 team won this award was in 2018, after four consecutive constructors' titles. I don't think they need any introduction. It will be revealed on April 21, 2025, whether the Norriss will succeed in following in Mercedes' footsteps.
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