ESPN.com · Dec 15, 2021
Why does Max Verstappen have to wait to get his F1 trophy?
Max Verstappen won his first Formula One title at the weekend, but there still isn't a single photograph of him holding the world championship trophy.
It remains one of the most curious aspects of F1 that the champion does not get his prize the moment he wins the title, which sets the series apart from the majority of other sporting competitions. The trophy sat between Verstappen and Lewis Hamilton during their media obligations in Abu Dhabi and again on the grid as they posed for a stare-down ahead of the race, but was conspicuously absent after the race.
The trophy will be handed to Verstappen at an FIA Gala on Thursday.