The Aston Martin Autosport BRDC Young Driver of the Year Award is motorsport's most prestigious accolade aimed at recognizing and supporting young talent. 

Established in 1989, the award was created by Autosport Magazine and the British Racing Drivers' Club (BRDC). Its purpose is to identify and assist promising British racing drivers in their progression up the motorsport ladder.

Each year young competitors are selected based on their performance in lower-tier racing series. The selection process involves a combination of on-track driving tests and off-track assessments, including fitness and professional skills.

Winners of the award have gone on to achieve considerable success in motorsport, including Formula 1. Notable winners include F1 stars such as David Coulthard, Jenson Button, Lando Norris, Paul di Resta and George Russell. Whilst the likes of Anthony Davidson and Jake Dennis have become champions in other series.

On today's podcast, Martyn Lee and Kevin Turner are joined by winner-turned-judge, and most recently 2023 IMSA SportsCar Champion, Alexander Sims. They talk about the award does for young drivers working their way into a professional career in motorsport, and some of the benefits of winning, such as a test drive in a modern Formula 1 car.

The 2023 winner will be announced at the Autosport Awards this weekend.

Previous Winners:

1989: David Coulthard

1990: Gareth Rees

1991: Oliver Gavin

1992: Dario Franchitti

1993: Ralph Firman

1994: Jamie Davies

1995: Jonny Kane

1996: Darren Turner

1997: Andrew Kirkaldy

1998: Jenson Button

1999: Gary Paffett

2000: Anthony Davidson

2001: Steven Kane

2002: Robbie Kerr

2003: Alex Lloyd

2004: Paul di Resta

2005: Oliver Jarvis

2006: Oliver Turvey

2007: Stefan Wilson

2008: Alexander Sims

2009: Dean Smith

2010: Lewis Williamson

2011: Oliver Rowland

2012: Jake Dennis

2013: Matt Parry

2014: George Russell

2015: Will Palmer

2016: Lando Norris

2017: Dan Ticktum

2018: Tom Gamble

2019: Johnathan Hoggard

2021: Zak O'Sullivan

2022: Luke Browning

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