By Alan Baldwin
DOHA (Reuters) – Max Verstappen will have to wait until December to get his hands on the Formula One champion’s trophy, after winning his third title in Qatar on Saturday, but the Red Bull driver said that was no big deal.
Formula One differs from other sports like soccer or tennis in handing out its silverware at a formal awards ceremony rather than at the actual moment of triumph and as part of the immediate show.
This year’s FIA gala prizegiving is due to take place in Baku on Dec. 8, with the final race of the F1 season in Abu Dhabi on Nov. 26.
“It’s OK, they look the same. I have two at home so they’re not changing,” Verstappen told reporters when asked if it was a shame to have to wait for the trophy rather than be able to raise it aloft with his team mates.
“It’s just one extra name on it. But it’s OK, I can wait a little bit. I’ve got one next to my sim rig (race car simulator) and one next to the TV.”
The Dutch 26-year-old has also won 48 grands prix so far — making him the fifth most successful F1 driver of all time in terms of race wins — and has plenty of other trophies in his collection.
All Verstappen got on Saturday, after finishing runner-up in a 19-lap sprint race that clinched the title after sole rival and team mate Sergio Perez crashed out, was a second place plaque.
There are no podium ceremonies for the sprint race, so as not to take lustre away from the main event on Sunday when the top three drivers are handed trophies.
(Reporting by Alan Baldwin, editing by Christian Radnedge)
