Max Verstappen ended Lewis Hamilton’s Formula 1 dominance by snatching the title from him in the dramatic finale of the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix. The young Red Bull star took 10 wins and 10 pole positions on his way to his first F1 championship.
Autosport readers voted Verstappen the best racing driver of 2021, ahead of his main rival Hamilton , IndyCar champion Alex Palou and Formula E title winner Nyck de Vries.
Verstappen ‘s win was announced on February 6 at the Autosport Awards , which were held again at a live event at Grosvenor House in Park Lane after the 2020 virtual edition due to COVID-19.
The award, which has been held since 1982, is disputed by all professional drivers who compete at an international level. Verstappen is the first Dutch driver to win it.
Among the previous winners are other F1 world champions such as Ayrton Senna, Michael Schumacher, Mika Hakkinen, Sebastian Vettel, Damon Hill, Jenson Button or Lewis Hamilton himself.
Other categories decided by fan voting include Pirelli International Driver of the Year, British Competition Driver of the Year, Blink Experience International Car of the Year, International Rally Driver of the Year, Rally, National Driver of the Year and Esports Driver of the Year presented by Motorsport Games.
Other awards, decided by experts, include the Aston Martin Autosport BRDC Young Driver of the Year Award and the Pioneer and Innovation Award presented by Mahindra Racing, which also incorporates the John Bolster Trophy for technical achievement. New awards for 2021 include the Gold Medal incorporating the Gregor Grant Award and eSports Team of the Year presented by Motorsport Games.
To find out who our other award winners are, visit autosport.com/awards
