Autosport Awards through the years

Autosport kicks off the year with the prestigious Autosport Awards 2026 at London’s Roundhouse on 21 January.

From 2025 the Awards moved from its traditional December slot at Grosvenor House Hotel to the Roundhouse in January. But some of the history, including a selection of the key Awards, remains – and the stars often attend the event to receive their Awards in front of motorsport luminaries.

The inaugural event was in 1988, but the awards themselves date back to 1982. In the 2 December magazine that year, Autosport called on its readers to vote on eight categories. Four of those – International Racing Driver, National Racing Driver, British Competition Driver and International Rally Driver – remain, while the Racing Car and Rally Car prizes have been combined for our current International Competition Car Award.

That year’s Formula 1 world champion Keke Rosberg was the first winner of the prestigious International Racing Driver Award and was followed by fellow title winners Nelson Piquet, Niki Lauda, Alain Prost, Ayrton Senna, Nigel Mansell, Damon Hill, Michael Schumacher, Jacques Villeneuve, Mika Hakkinen, Kimi Raikkonen, Fernando Alonso, Jenson Button, Sebastian Vettel, Nico Rosberg and Max Verstappen. Seven-time world champion Lewis Hamilton holds the record, winning the fan vote eight times.

Hamilton also has the highest number of British Competition Driver wins with eight, while current McLaren star Lando Norris is on five. Norris is a candidate again for the Award.

Michele Mouton was the inaugural Rally Driver of the Year, which British drivers Colin McRae (three times) and Richard Burns (twice) won in subsequent years. Appropriately given their domination of the sport, Sebastiens Loeb and Ogier share the record on seven wins, though Ogier is a candidate again this time around so could move ahead.

Audi’s revolutionary Quattro won the first two editions of the Rally Car Award, while the Porsche 956 took the Racing Car laurels in 1982. It was followed by such legendary machines as the 1988 McLaren MP4/4, 1992 Williams FW14B, 2004 Ferrari F2004, 2020 Mercedes W11 and 2023 Red Bull RB19. The last non-F1 winner was the Le Mans-winning Bentley Speed 8 in 2003.

As the Awards grew and became an actual event, other honours were added. Arguably the biggest was the McLaren Autosport Award, now known as the Silverstone Autosport BRDC Young Driver of the Year Award, which to this day aims to find and assist the best up-and-coming British talents in single-seater racing.

David Coulthard was selected as the first victor, after which a shootout was organised for future finalists. Subsequent winners included 2009 F1 world champion Jenson Button, 2014 World Endurance title winner Anthony Davidson, current F1 stars George Russell and Norris, plus IndyCar legend Dario Franchitti.

While the Award is on hiatus this year ahead of a re-evaluation, plans are in place to develop the contest in the future in order to better align with the modern motorsport landscape.

Rookie of the Year arrived in 2000 – and was won by Button – while other Awards to have been added, sometimes chosen by an expert judging panel, include the Pioneering and Innovation Award, Moment of the Year, Autosport Williams Engineer of the Future, Motorsport Promoter, and Brand Partnership. Lifetime and technical achievement awards were also brought in and used to remember Autosport founding editor Gregor Grant and longtime technical editor John Bolster.

The Awards have also played their part in motorsport history. Hamilton famously introduced himself to then McLaren boss Ron Dennis at the 1995 Awards, when he was just a 10-year-old karter.

In 2025, the Awards night moved to London’s Roundhouse with a refreshed look and appeal which included a select group of fans join in with the celebrations.

For 2026, a total of eight fan-voted awards will be presented, which gained more than half a million votes globally. Norris is due to receive the inaugural Autosport Champion trophy to honour his rise from Autosport BRDC Young Driver winner to F1 world champion, while legendary engineer Ross Brawn will be awarded the Autosport Gold Medal Icon for a 40-year career at motorsport’s highest level.

The night will be hosted by BBC Radio 1’s Greg James with Michelin star celebrity chef Tom Kerridge curating the Autosport Awards dinner menu.

The winners will be announced on Autosport, so be sure to check if your favourites have taken home the trophies on 21 January.