The Australian, who took the accolade in 2020 thanks to his FIA Formula 3 crown, won six races on his way to the F2 title with Prema Racing.

Autosport readers voted Piastri the best rookie of 2021, ahead of F1-turned-IndyCar racer Romain Grosjean, Haas F1 driver Mick Schumacher and European Le Mans Series champion Yifei Ye.

Piastri’s success was announced on 6 February at the Autosport Awards, which returned to a live event at Grosvenor House on Park Lane following the online-only competition of 2020 due to the coronavirus pandemic.

“Thank you to everyone who voted, it was a great season. It is looking like a different kind of season for me this year on the sidelines but I’ll be pushing hard for sure,” Piastri, who was given his award by Johnny Herbert.

Previous winners of the award, which is open to professional racing drivers in their first season in their respective categories, include Jenson Button, Juan Pablo Montoya, Mark Webber, Lewis Hamilton, Sebastian Vettel, Max Verstappen and Charles Leclerc.

Oscar Piastri, Prema Racing

Photo by: Zak Mauger / Motorsport Images

Other categories decided by fan voting include International Racing Driver of the Year presented by Pirelli, British Competition Driver of the Year, International Racing Car of the Year presented by Blink Experience, International Rally Driver of the Year, Rally Car of the Year, National Driver of the Year and Esports Driver of the Year presented by Motorsport Games.

Further awards, decided by expert judging panels, include the Aston Martin Autosport BRDC Young Driver of the Year Award, and the Pioneering and Innovation Award presented by Mahindra Racing incorporating the John Bolster Trophy for Technical Achievement. New awards for 2021 include the Gold Medal incorporating the Gregor Grant Award and Esports Team of the Year presented by Motorsport Games.

To find out who our other Award winners are, go to autosport.com/awards.