The Dutch public voted a different world champion as their Sports Personality of the Year
MAX VERSTAPPEN missed out on winning Dutch Sports Personality of the Year despite landing the Formula One championship in a record-breaking season.
The Red Bull superstar won 19 out of 22 races to win the championship for a third successive year.
2Max Verstappen’s F1 championship victory was not enough to win the Dutch Personality of the Year awardCredit: PA
2Cycling Mathieu van der Poel won the award for a second timeCredit: AFP
He won ten races in a row from May to September – a feat unmatched by any driver in F1 history.
Verstappen, 26, also set a record points total of 575.
But the world champion has been overlooked by the Dutch public, who voted cyclist Mathieu van der Poel as their Sports Personality of the Year.
The 28-year-old had an astonishing season with victories in prestigious one-day races including Paris-Roubaix and Milan-San Remo.
Van der Poel topped off his year by winning the Road World Championships in Glasgow, beating two-time Tour de France winner Tadej Pogacar.
He even crashed inside the final 20 kilometres and damaged his shoe before clinging on for victory.
The Dutchman also had to stop mid-race for a poo in a stranger’s house.
Van der Poel began his year by winning the Cylco-cross World Championship for a fifth time after defeating long-term rival Wout van Aert, who also finished second behind the Dutchman in Glasgow.
Verstappen has been named Dutch Sports Personality the previous two years following his F1 championship wins.
Van der Poel has now equalled his haul after also picking up the award in 2019 following his incredible win in the Amstel Gold Race – Holland’s biggest cycling race.
Fans were delighted to see Van der Poel claim the award with one saying: “Max had the greatest ever season in F1 history and yet MvdP was the best Dutch athlete this year. Speaks volumes. Elite riding.”
Another added: “No brainer!”
While a third joked: “A man who drives a machine versus a man who is a machine. No contest!”
