Stars come out on a special night at the Autosport Awards

Simply studying down the checklist of names who had been on stage throughout the Autosport Awards on Wednesday night presents a flavour of the illustrious historical past and ongoing significance the occasion holds inside motorsport.

System 1 CEO Stefano Domenicali, staff principals Christian Horner, Zak Brown and James Vowles, 1996 F1 world champion Damon Hill, 13-time grand prix winner David Coulthard, F1 Academy managing director Susie Wolff and new Mercedes driver Andrea Kimi Antonelli all offered or collected awards on the evening.

Add to that different staff bosses, F1 drivers and sequence administrators dotted across the room at London’s Roundhouse, and it felt like a who’s-who of motorsport – as did the roll name of winners.

Max Verstappen, Lando Norris, Bernie Ecclestone, McLaren, the Las Vegas Grand Prix and Andrea Stella had been amongst these to gather accolades.

F1 Academy topped its 2024 champion, Abbi Pulling, whereas the long run seems in secure palms as British System 4 champion Deagan Fairclough was named Silverstone Autosport BRDC Younger Driver of the 12 months.

Introduced by Qiddiya and hosted by Dermot O’Leary and Lee McKenzie, the night was rounded off by a DJ set from former Spice Lady, Melanie C.

The celebrations had been much more heightened than regular for the ‘largest evening in motorsport’ as each Autosport and System 1 toast their seventy fifth anniversaries this 12 months.

“One in all my favorite sayings is: ‘custom is an experiment that labored’,” James Allen, president of Motorsport Enterprise and F1 liaison mentioned throughout the ceremony.  

“Seventy-five years in the past, Autosport was launched just some weeks after the primary ever System 1 grand prix at Silverstone. In each instances, it was the beginning of one thing that has thrived and has grow to be a convention over 75 years.

“There has by no means ever been a greater time to be a motorsport fan than at present. Why? Due to the standard of the competitors and the numerous totally different ways in which followers now have to have interaction with our sport.

“One other one in every of my favorite sayings that I hear incessantly, each from the trade but in addition from the followers, is: ‘I by no means consider it till I learn it in Autosport’.

“Now, that carries an immense accountability, however it’s one which we all know that’s valued and we definitely worth it too. So, System 1 and Autosport had been born in that very same summer time of 1950, and we’re very, very proud to share this seventy fifth anniversary with System 1.”

Deagan Fairclough, wins the Silverstone Autosport BRDC Younger Driver of the 12 months Award

Picture by: Andrew Ferraro / Motorsport Pictures

Full checklist of award winners:

seventy fifth Anniversary honouree – Bernie Ecclestone
Worldwide Driver of the 12 months – Max Verstappen
British Competitors Driver – Lando Norris
Particular person of the 12 months – Andrea Stella
Worldwide Rally Driver of the 12 months – Sebastien Ogier
Nationwide Driver of the 12 months – Jake Hill
Worldwide Competitors Automotive – MCL38
Promoter of the 12 months – Las Vegas Grand Prix
Second of the 12 months – Verstappen Masterclass in Brazil
Model Partnership of the 12 months – Peroni Nastro Azzurro 0.0% x Scuderia Ferrari
Pioneering & Innovation – Pirelli – Forest Stewardship Council-certified tyres
F1 ACADEMY champion – Abbi Pulling
Younger Driver of the 12 months – Deagen Fairclough