The Silverstone Autosport BRDC Award is an award set up in 1989, following the demise of the Grovewood Awards, to reward and recognise young racing drivers from the UK.[1] As its names suggest, the award is backed by Silverstone, motorsport magazine Autosport, and the British Racing Drivers' Club (BRDC). As well as the prestige of winning the award, a test drive in an Aston Martin Formula One car and £200,000[2] – increased from £50,000 in 2010 – cash prize, the award winner is also presented with the Chris Bristow Trophy.[3]
McLaren ended its longstanding partnership with the accolade in January 2019, and was replaced by Aston Martin. The 2019 winner received a test in a Red Bull Racing car at Silverstone, as Aston Martin was the team's sponsor, and test in an FIA World Endurance Championship Aston Martin Vantage GTE car. The Award was not held in 2020, but since 2021, the winner has received a test in an Aston Martin F1 Team car and an overall £200,000 prize fund.[4]
In August 2025, it was announced that the 2025 award would not take place, with organisers stating a review of the award would take place before a future relaunch.[5]
Procedure
[edit]Members of the public are invited to nominate drivers for the award and a shortlist of six finalists is decided upon by the award's judging panel. The finalists then spend two or three days at a British circuit in mid-November driving different types of car to evaluate their performance as well as interview sessions with the panel. The winner is announced at the annual Autosport Awards in early December.
Past winners and nominees
[edit]- A total of 134 drivers have been nominated for the prize since it was first handed out.
References
[edit]- ^ McLaren Mercedes – Young Driver Programme
- ^ "Final 2024 Award contenders chosen". 22 August 2024. Retrieved 19 December 2024.
- ^ British Racing Drivers' Club – Awards
- ^ Graham Keilloh (5 March 2019). "Aston Martin replaces McLaren as BRDC award sponsor". Motorsport Magazine.
- ^ a b "Silverstone Autosport BRDC Young Driver of the Year Award on hiatus for 2025". British Racing Drivers' Club. 13 August 2025. Retrieved 13 August 2025.
With big plans to develop the contest in the future, the stakeholders have agreed to a review ahead of the launch of a new-look Award. The partners are launching a process to reinvent the Award for the modern motorsport landscape.
- ^ a b c Cozens, Jack (26 September 2019). "Aston Martin Autosport BRDC Award finalists revealed". Motorsport.com. Motorsport Network. Retrieved 30 September 2019.
- ^ "Aston Martin Autosport BRDC Young Driver of the Year Award paused for 2020". Autosport. 4 May 2020. Retrieved 8 November 2021.
- ^ a b c "Four Finalists Selected for 2021 Aston Martin Autosport BRDC Award". BRDC. 30 September 2021. Retrieved 8 November 2021.
- ^ a b c "The 2022 AMABA finalists reflect on their evaluation tests". Autosport. 2 December 2022. Retrieved 7 December 2022.
- ^ a b c Turner, Kevin (21 September 2023). "Finalists revealed for 2023 Aston Martin Autosport BRDC Young Driver Award". Motorsport.com. Motorsport Network. Retrieved 11 January 2024.
- ^ a b c Wood, Ida (26 September 2024). "Fairclough, Lindlad, Sharp and Slater in Autosport BRDC Award final". Formula Scout. Retrieved 26 September 2024.