Red Bull ace Max Verstappen has been nominated for the ESPY award, ‘Best Championship Performance’ for his 2021 victory.
Mercedes came into the 2021 season on the back of winning eight consecutive World Titles. However, the Silver Arrows and Lewis Hamilton faced a roadblock in the name of Verstappen.
Red Bull had finally provided their Dutch star with a car capable of fighting for the Title. As expected, he lived up to the challenge. After a season of ups and downs, Verstappen made a race winning overtake on the last lap on Hamilton to win his first World Title.
However, his Title win did not come without controversy. His victory in Yas Island at the season finale was marred by a controversial decision made by then race director Michael Masi.
In spite of that, he had a stellar season and even Mercedes boss Toto Wolff admitted that Verstappen was a deserved Champion. Now, the 24-year old has the chance to win another trophy in Los Angeles later this month.
Also read: Mercedes to pay $700,000 to allow Lewis Hamilton to continue with Austrian GP
Max Verstappen nominated for an ESPY among other big sports stars
Verstappen received an ESPY nomination for ‘Best Championship Performance‘. This led to certain fans (Hamilton fans in particular), bringing up the fact that the Dutchman won the Title only because of incorrectly implemented rules by Masi.
Alongside Verstappen, some other big names have also been nominated for this award. The complete list of nominations are as follows:
- Cooper Kupp, Los Angeles Rams- Super Bowl LVI (NFL)
- Cale Makar, Colorado Avalanche- Stanley Cup (NHL)
- Juliana Peña- UFC 269
The 2022 ESPYS will take place in Los Angeles on 20st July. Last season’s NBA Champion Stephen Curry will be hosting his first ever live show, as he takes charge of being the frontman at this year’s ESPYs.
Verstappen has also won two Laureus Sports awards before in his career. In 2016 he won the Breakthrough of the Year award and this year, the Sportsperson of the Year award went to him.
The Red Bull driver is also on course to winning his second consecutive World Title this season. He leads the F1 Drivers’ Standings with 181 points to his name as of now.
