Autosport held its 38th annual Autosport Awards on the 21st January. Aiming to celebrate the highs of motorsports throughout the year, these highlight the best drivers, teams, and moments. With many awards up for grabs, fans had the opportunity to vote and have their say. It was a night of firsts as many new faces were added to the award’s history books.

Rookie, Creator, and Moment of the Year

The night started with two coveted awards and a brand-new, fan-led one.

Following his ascension to Red Bull Racing, Isack Hadjar won Rookie of the Year. He faced tough competition, such as Formula 1 podium sitter Kimi Antonelli, MotoGP’s Rookie winner Fermín Aldeguer, and stand-out star of Formula E, Taylor Barnard. But Hadjar’s debut in F1, including multiple Q3 appearances and a podium, saw him take the win.

“Thank you. I actually had no idea.”
~ Isack Hadjar accepting the award.

Next came a standout moment as P1’s Matt and Tommy were crowned the inaugural Creator of the Year. Set up to celebrate the fans and honour the creators who are redefining how fans engage with the sport, the podcast duo became the first winners.

“My heart is racing. This is unbelievable. Thank you to each and every one of you who voted.”
~ Matt and Tommy were grateful for the award.

Last year saw plenty of incredible moments throughout all the series motorsports has to offer. Narrowing those down must’ve been hard. From Max Verstappen’s Nürburgring debut to the Márquez brothers achieving a 1-2 in the MotoGP standings, there were plenty to choose from. The winner of the Moment of the Year? Robert Kubica winning Le Mans with Ferrari.

F1 Academy Honours the Women in Motorsports

After the initial fan-voted awards, it was time for the F1 Academy to shine. The top three in the standings, Dorianne Pin, Maya Weug, and Chloe Chambers, all received their awards. It was especially special for Pin, who was also announced as Mercedes-AMG Petronas’s development driver during the day.

“I think I can be proud of it. I think I made a lot of improvements from 2024.”
~ Chloe Chambers reflecting on her 2025 campaign at the Autosport Awards.

“Overall, it’s been a great season. Being able to fight until the last lap for the championship is something good.”
~ Maya Weug accepted her second place in the championship.

“Two months later [it feels real]. It’s amazing to celebrate it once again.“
~ Dorianne Pin on winning the F1A Championship.

Alongside celebrating the current drivers, the female series held two other awards. Chiara Battig, who is in their Discover Your Drive programme, won the Rising Star award. Whilst she was unable to collect the award due to her racing schedule, she shared how she was very grateful in a video message.

PREMA Racing won the Winning Team award. Bradley Lord, Chief Communications Officer of Mercedes, accepted the award on their behalf.

Managing Director of the series, Susie Wolff, concluded their time on stage by discussing the impact with host Greg James. To finish, they revealed the ‘new era’ of F1A coming in 2027 with a gripping video.

“It’s been a wonderful few years. I have to be very grateful for the amount of support we’ve had from within the industry. We want to keep pushing and making sure that we are creating a positive impact.”
~ Susie Wolff on the F1 Academy.

Autosport’s Gold Medal Icon

The Gold Medal celebrates individuals whose service, leadership, and innovation have left a lasting legacy on the sport. This year, this prestigious award went to Ross Brawn.

From winning championships with Ferrari and Brawn GP to being a part of F1’s management, Brawn has a long history of changing the sport. He is the fourth winner of this award, following Jean Todt, Roger Penske, and Sir Jackie Stewart.

In an emotional section, video tributes from Nico Rosberg, Jenson Button, and Stefano Domenicali were shown. Martin Brundle and Todt also shared some of their experiences on stage with Brawn before he collected the award.

“This is very special. I am deeply honoured both by the award and the things that have been said this evening.”
~ Ross Brawn collecting the Gold Medal award.

Team and Car of the Year

Ross Brawn spoke about the importance of lasting relationships and how those form successful teams. In recognition of how this philosophy has worked, back-to-back world champions McLaren received the first Team of the Year award. The team was also awarded the award for Competition Car of the Year, appreciating how their teamwork behind the scenes created an innovative and dominant MCL39.

“Thank you to the entire technical team, the 1000-strong team at the factory, and everyone that supports us.”
~ Stella shared his thanks to the entire McLaren team.

Autosport Champion and British Driver of the Year

It wasn’t just McLaren’s team and car who were victorious at the event. Their driver, Lando Norris, received a brand new accolade following his ascension in the champions’ book after winning the Autosport BRDC Young Driver award 10 years ago. Autosport celebrated his achievements with the brand new Autosport Champion award. Like the Gold Medal award, this won’t be awarded every year, instead remaining a mark of outstanding achievements made by young drivers later in their careers.

The champion also received the British Driver of the Year award. His consistency and speed throughout the 2025 season saw him rise to the top after years of hard work and determination. Norris has achieved this award previously, making this his sixth win.

“It is a pleasure to be here 10 years on since my first award, it has been an incredible journey. So many good things and incredible moments. Moments like this allow it to [feel real].”
~ Norris accepting his awards.

Driver and Rally Driver of the Year

The final two awards that fans could vote on looked at the individuals who excelled. For the fifth time in a row, Max Verstappen won Driver of the Year. Despite missing a fifth championship in a row, Verstappen impressed in 2025 with eight wins and overcoming a 104-point gap to finish second overall. He was unable to be there to collect the award.

Nine-time rally champion Sébastien Ogier was victorious in the World Rally Championship last year again despite missing rounds. After his return to the top step, he received the award for Rally Driver of the Year for the ninth time.

Autosport Award’s Panels

To conclude the night, Autosport looked towards the awards decided by a judging panel. These three awards commemorate aspects that transcend the track.

The not-for-profit organisation More than Equal focuses on researching women in motorsport to identify and develop talent. Their goal is to produce the first female F1 world champion, and last night they won the Award for Pioneering and Innovation.

Honouring the film Red Bull and Ford created between Max Verstappen and Chris Harris, where they drove past and present Ford Performance cars, the panel said that it was a “flawless example of excellence in brand partnership storytelling.” This saw the pairing win the Brand Partnership award.

Finally, the Miami Grand Prix won the Promoter of the Year award. Commending the race’s step forward and development since 2022 and the way they proactively deal with the media, this award was accepted by new CEO Katarina Nowak.

The 38th annual Autosport Awards were a spectacle showcasing the philosophy and future of motorsports. The fans held the power to shape Autosport’s future, meaning new faces were inducted into its legacy and old faces were celebrated. The awards give kudos to everyone—from the fans to the teams—to highlight the work and dedication that goes into the sports that we love.