Lewis Hamilton, Sebastien Ogier, Petter Solberg and Colin Turkington were amongst the winners at the 2014 Autosport Awards.
The annual awards evening at London’s Grovesnor House Hotel celebrated the best of motorsport in 2014, with the recently-crowned F1 world champion Hamilton the big name attendee.
Hamilton ended up picking up two gongs over the course of the evening, winning the International Racing Driver of the Year and British Competition Driver of the Year honours, while the Mercedes W05 Hybrid that took him to the title secured the Racing Car of the Year crown.
“I’m thrilled being up here a two time world champion,” said Hamilton. “I remember being here when I was 10. It was back in 1995 but was exactly the same then. We had an amazing season and were fortunate to have the best team and the best car.”
It also proved to be a world champion clean sweep in the top rallying awards. Now two-time WRC champion Ogier picked up the Rally Driver of the Year award for the second year in succession, his Volkswagen Polo R WRC named Rally Car of the Year.
Former WRC champion Solberg was awarded a Gregor Grant Award for lifetime achievement after his championship success in World Rallycross this year made him the first man to win FIA world titles in two separate disciplines.
The second Gregor Grant award of the evening went to Richard ‘The King’ Petty, the NASCAR legend’s 34 year career in the premier stock car championship having yielded seven Daytona 500 victories and seven championships.
Rookie of the Year went to Daniil Kvyat after his impressive maiden F1 campaign with Torro Rosso, Formula E won the Pioneering and Innovation award, while legendary Formula 1 designer Gordon Murray was bestowed the John Bolster Award.
In the national racing awards, 2014 BTCC champion Colin Turkington collected the National Racing Driver of the Year award, while Formula Renault NEC Ben Barnicoat was crowned the British Club Driver of the Year.
While Barnicoat won that award, he was ultimately unsuccessful in the big award of the night, with George Russell becoming the youngest ever winner of the McLaren Autosport BRDC Award, earning himself £100,000 and a McLaren Formula 1 test in the process.
“I’m lost for words; it’s been a long wait since the two day test,” said Russell. “A number of amazing drivers have won this award in the past and gone on to do fantastic things so I hope I can do the same as them.”
