F1’s rising star sparks a nation’s adoration

After a six-year reign as the country’s favorite sports star, four-time Olympic speed skating champion Sven Kramer was upstaged by a young and feisty race car driver.

Max Verstappen, the super-fast, straight-talking Formula One prodigy, has upstaged his illustrious counterpart — according to a biennial poll by the Hendrik Beerda Brand Consultancy in cooperation with the University of Amsterdam.