Verstappen has the F1 World Championship trophy is in his possession!
Max Verstappen secured his third consecutive Formula 1 world title on October 7th. Yet it was not until December 8th that the Red Bull Racing driver was allowed to receive the accompanying trophy. At the annual FIA Prize Giving ceremony, this time in Baku in Azerbaijan, the Dutchman was finally presented with the top prize this Friday.
Meanwhile, Verstappen has the big trophy in his hands:
.@Max33Verstappen is the 2023 FIA Formula One World Champion
— FIA (@fia) December 8, 2023
Make sure to watch FIA Prize Giving ceremony live now, on FIA YouTube channel #FIAPrizeGiving2023 pic.twitter.com/lXtkPJwzEs
It was a party for Red Bull Racing anyway. Team boss Christian Horner received the trophy as the winning constructor, while Sergio Perez was honoured as Formula One World Championship number two. Lewis Hamilton also made an appearance in Azerbaijan. The Mercedes driver finished third in the title race. In 2021, Hamilton was the number two behind Max Verstappen, but then the Brit skipped the award ceremony. At the time, the Mercedes driver was too disappointed with the way he had missed out on the world title in Abu Dhabi.
Not only Max Verstappen was honoured in Baku. All FIA world champions (and a few smaller championships) received their trophies there. For instance, Jake Dennis ( Formula E champion) and Théo Pourchaire (Formula 2) received their top prizes.