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Verstappen a double winner at FIA awards

Red Bull Formula One driver Max Verstappen has won personality of the year and action of the year awards at an International Automobile Federation ceremony.

Max Verstappen (L) during the 2016 FIA Prize Giving ceremony

Dutch Formula One driver Max Verstappen has collected two special awards the FIA's gala ceremony. (AAP)

Dutch Formula One driver Max Verstappen has collected two special awards for the second year in a row at the International Automobile Federation (FIA)'s gala prize-giving ceremony.

The 19-year-old Red Bull F1 driver on Friday took out the personality of the year, while his overtake of Nico Rosberg's Mercedes in the wet at the Brazilian Grand Prix won the action of the year award across all FIA-sanctioned series.

The personality award was voted for by international media.

Verstappen, becoming the youngest GP winner in Spain in May, is the hottest young talent in the sport and has now won the action of the year award for three successive years.

He won it last year for a daring move on Brazilian Felipe Nasr around the outside at Blanchimont at the Belgian GP. In 2014, while in European F3, his last-lap overtake of Italian Antonio Giovinazzi was the winner.

"I'm very happy with my second season in F1," he said. "When it started, I didn't think it was going to be this good ... hopefully, we can be even more successful next year."

Rosberg, who won the championship on Sunday in Abu Dhabi, was handed his trophy at the ceremony - hours after he stunned Formula One by announcing his retirement.

"It's mission accomplished for me. I've done it. That's the dream come true," said the German, son of 1982 world champion Keke.

"When I saw this trophy for the first time, straight away I had a look at where my dad was. So I found my dad down there and, for me, that's one of the most-emotional things about all this that I managed to achieve what he did 34 years ago and share that with him," he added.

Rosberg also said he would have continued for another year had he come second in the championship to teammate Lewis Hamilton, instead of beating him.


2 min read

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Source: AAP



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