Max Verstappen will not attend the FIA Prize Giving Gala on Friday where Lando Norris will receive his trophy for winning the Formula 1 world championship.
Norris ended Verstappen’s dominance of the sport at last weekend’s Abu Dhabi Grand Prix, pipping the Red Bull driver to the title by just two points.
But unlike many other sports, the F1 champion does not officially get his prize at the season finale. Instead, the awards are giving out at a ceremony run by motorsport’s governing body.
The annual event also sees the victors of other FIA series like Formula E and the World Rally Championship collect their silverware.
FIA regulations dictate that the top-three finishers in the championship attend, with Norris and McLaren teammate Oscar Piastri travelling to Uzbekistan for the gala.
However, Verstappen will not be there, with reports claiming the four-time F1 champion has been struck down with the flu.
He risks being punished for not turning up, with Sir Lewis Hamilton fined £42,000 for skipping the ceremony in 2021 after controversially losing the title to Verstappen at the last race in Abu Dhabi.
However, it has been suggested that the 28-year-old will escape such a penalty due to the reasoning behind his absence.
Curiously, the Dutchman did state last weekend that he did not want to go to the gala, telling Viaplay: ‘I have to go. Otherwise, I get a penalty. But honestly, it is nonsense.
‘We are exhausted. It has been a very tough season. You want to recharge, not sit in a hall for hours. If it were optional, I would not be there.’
What time is the FIA Prize Giving Gala and how to watch
The FIA Prize Giving Gala is taking place on Friday, December 12 in Tashkent, Uzbekistan,
It is scheduled to get underway at 11pm local time (6pm UK time).
You can watch Norris lift the F1 championship trophy by live streaming the ceremony for free on the official FIA YouTube channel.
Despite losing the title by an incredibly narrow margin, Verstappen was gracious in defeat and congratulated the Brit on his maiden triumph in the post-race press conference in Yas Marina.
‘Winning your first title is something that I think we all dreamt of when you get into the sport. You work for that since you’re a little kid. It’s what you dream of.
‘So, when you win your first title, this is very emotional. And I hope for Lando as well. I saw a lot of his family is here, so it’s important to enjoy this a lot as well tonight. Also, with his team.
‘That’s another story where it showed that even when you have tough years, when you keep working hard, you keep adding good people to the team, you can overcome all of those things, and you can become very successful again. They had an incredible season together, so it’s important that they enjoy it.’
For more stories like this, check our sport page.
Follow Metro Sport for the latest news on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.
