News item | 01-09-2022 | 1:00 pm
Formula 1 driver Max Verstappen has been appointed Officer in the Order of Orange-Nassau today. The first Dutch Formula 1 World Champion was presented with this royal award by Minister for Sport Conny Helder, in the presence of his family and loved ones.
Sports Minister Conny Helder: “It takes a lot more than just talent to become a champion. Many years of hard and long work, don’t give up and keep going. You are a great inspiration to many in this. And in the end you will be the first Dutchman to drive to the Formula 1 world title. What a fantastic achievement. You have also put the Netherlands on the map worldwide.”
Verstappen is grateful for the appointment: “It is a great honor to receive this appointment. I am very grateful to my family and loved ones for their support from my early racing years and would also like to thank Red Bull and my personal sponsors. Without all that support I would not have been able to get to where I am today. In addition, I would also like to thank my fans worldwide, but especially the Orange Army. Their encouragement is overwhelming time and again and it is nice to see so many Dutch people living with them. I am really looking forward to my home race next weekend in the Dutch Grand Prix.”
On the occasion of his appointment as Officer, the Knac National Autosport Federation (KNAF) decided to present him with the Dutch racing license number 1. “To say that this award is well deserved is putting it mildly,” said KNAF chairman Jan de Wit after the award ceremony. “What an achievement, what an impressive career, what an ambassador you are for our country and our sport. That is why we thought it appropriate to make a small gesture as well.”
Verstappen has been on the kart circuits since his youngest years. After only one year in Formula 3, he made his debut in Formula 1 in 2015. Already in the following season he became the first Dutch winner of a Grand Prix. At the same time, he became the youngest Grand Prix winner of all time. In 2021 he became world champion in Formula 1 for the first time. He is the first Dutchman to have achieved this.
Partly due to his success, public interest in Formula 1 in the Netherlands has increased considerably. Last year the Grand Prix of the Netherlands returned to Zandvoort after 36 years. Verstappen won this match and hopes to do it again next Sunday in front of more than a hundred thousand supporters, on his way to possibly a second world title.
Enlarge Image
