Published by
Sports Illustrated
Sports Illustrated
By Madeline Coleman The 24-year-old Red Bull driver became the first Dutch champion in Formula One history. Max Verstappen stood tall on the stage at the FIA Prize-Giving Gala in Paris, hoisting the World Championship trophy to the crowd for the first time since securing the title. As he lowered the hardware, the Dutch driver looked at the silver object for a few beats, seemingly lost in the moment. But no one could blame him for wanting to take a second to soak in this experience. After all, this was his “life goal achieved.” “When I saw these three go-karts up here, everything comes back—tra…