A week after his Formula 1 world championship, Max Verstappen lost the battle for the prestigious prize. The Dutch Red Bull driver was nominated for the ‘Star of the World Sport’ award from British broadcaster BBC. He had a strong opponent but lost under a somewhat surprising name.

Each year, the BBC awards the best sporting achievement in a calendar year. At a gala, comparable to the NOS sports gala in the Netherlands, the athletes were in the spotlight. In addition to some gifts for sports heroes from British soil, international stars can also add gifts.

Horse racing

Therefore Verstappen is one of the contenders for an important sporting prize. He was nominated here along with tennis great Novak Djokovic, boxing champion Saul Alvarez and sprint sensation Elaine Thompson-Herah.

However, neither of these supersport stars was declared the winner. Verstappen et al had to lose to Irish jockey Rachael Blackmore. This name does not ring a bell in Holland but in England he is a big name because he won important horse races.

Hamilton

Verstappen’s rival in Formula 1, Lewis Hamilton, also did not win. The Mercedes driver wasn’t even nominated for the gala grand prize after a good season. Last year Hamilton was voted Sports Personality of the Year but he didn’t get the chance to renew the title this year. He was replaced by tennis star Emma Raducanu.

Verstappen has one more chance to win a good sporting title. The Limburger has been nominated in his own country for the sportsman of the year title. He already won this prize in 2016 after a spectacular first year with Red Bull Racing.