Max awarded "Personality of the Year" at FIA Prize Giving Gala

Published on 09 December 2017 by Stefan Meens

At the annual FIA Prize Giving Gala, Max Verstappen won the “FIA Personality of the Year” award. At the Château de Versailles near Paris, the Dutchman took home the trophy for the third year in a row.

Max received the “Personality of the Year” award after a vote by permanently accredited media. At the gala, all the FIA World Champions received their trophies, including Lewis Hamilton, collecting his fourth World Title trophy. His Mercedes team were honored for clinching the 2017 constructor’s title.

“It’s amazing to once again win this FIA prize”, Max told Verstappen.nl. “It’s wonderful recognition” remarked the 20-year-old after his third season in Formula 1, in which he scored 168 points and finishing sixth in the championship.

“With two wins it was fairly positive year. We had a tough start with too many issues. In that sense, it was a good exercise for me to stay positive in the challenging moments. It was great to win in Malaysia after so many DNFs. That win was my highlight of the year.”

“I feel really at home at Red Bull Racing. It’s a great team and we collaborate very well. Hopefully we can improve next year. We working hard to make sure we’re at the front from the very start. I’m looking forward to the 2018 season.”