Max Verstappen reacts after matching Lewis Hamilton and Michael Schumacher achievement

Max Verstappen has reacted after being nominated for a Laureus Award. The Dutch driver has followed in the footsteps of both Lewis Hamilton and Michael Schumacher in being in contention to win the prize having claimed the F1 title in 2021. He'll go up against some of sport's biggest names when it comes to scooping yet another accolade.

Verstappen was trailing Hamilton on the final lap of the season in Abu Dhabi in December.

But an incident involving a safety car ultimately allowed the Red Bull star to reign supreme and claim the first championship of his career.

While Hamilton and Mercedes have made plenty of complaints in the time since then, Verstappen has been basking in the glory of being the sport's newest winner.

Now, he's been nominated for a Laureus Award.

And, speaking on his official website, the 24-year-old thanked his 'Orange Army' for all their support.

"First of all, a big thank you to the media for the nomination of the Laureus Sportsman of the Year Award," he said.

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"It's great to be nominated for this award after such an intense season.

"The biggest thank you goes to my team Red Bull Racing who, together with Honda, gave me a winning car.

"As a team, we fought for years to improve and close the gap, and we finally succeeded. It's fantastic to be world champion.

"I also want to say a huge thank you to the fans who support me, because it's great to see the Orange Army around the world."

Verstappen will face big competition when it comes to winning the prize, however.

Novak Djokovic is also in contention, with the Serb winning three of tennis' four Grand Slams last year.

However, he was unable to defend his Australian Open title this year after a bitter stand-off with the authorities that ultimately led