For the second year running, reigning F1 World Champion Max Verstappen has been nominated for the prestigious Sportsman of the Year Laureus award, while Red Bull is listed among the team nominees.
Verstappen won the plaudit last year following his dramatic title-winning season in F1 in 2021.
But the Dutchman's massive wave of success in 2022, during which he won a record 15 Grands Prix on his way to his second world crown, made him a predictable nominee in the Laureus World Sports Awards individual category.
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However, Verstappen is up against some very strong opposition with soccer legends Kylian Mbappé and Lionel Messi, tennis superstar Rafael Nadal, Swedish pole vaulter Mondo Duplantis and NBA Golden State Warriors Stephen Curry also vying for the top Laureus honour.
While Verstappen's achievements last year were remarkable, Formula 1 remains a team sport, which has led to championship winning outfit Oracle Red Bull Racing being nominated in the Laureus World Team of the Year category.
The bulls will line up on the grid alongside Argentina's World Cup winning men's football team, Real Madrid Men’s Football Team, France's Men's Rugby Team, the England Women’s Football Team and the Golden State Warriors.
In past years, Formula 1's honour at the Laureus Awards was successfully upheld individually by Michael Schumacher (2004), Sebastian Vettel (2014) and Lewis Hamilton (2020), but also collectively by the Renault F1 Team (2006), Brawn GP (2010) and the Mercedes Formula One Team (2018).
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