2018 Autosport Awards

Winners

Rider of the Year

Open to riders competing in any of MotoGP’s three racing categories

Cal Crutchlow

Victory in Argentina made the HRC-backed Crutchlow the first Brit to lead the MotoGP points since 1979, and consistent strong form then kept him in touch with the championship top five before Australia practice crash curtailed his season.

Andrea Dovizioso

Four wins and strong pace all year backed up Dovizioso's frontrunning credential from 2017, as he once again emerged as Marquez's biggest threat and Ducati's leading light.

Jorge Lorenzo

Fully adjusted to the Ducati after a difficult debut year, Lorenzo was able to unleash his full might to take three wins and leave the Italian marque questioning its decision to drop him for 2019.

Marc Márquez

A fifth MotoGP title in six years was secured with a near-flawless campaign that netted the Honda rider nine victories and only three races off the podium.

Jonathan Rea

Four straight titles, 71 wins and 134 podiums make Rea the most decorated World Superbike rider in history, those records made in 2018 despite regulation changes aimed at ending his and Kawasaki's dominance.

Valentino Rossi

Consistency aboard a troubled Yamaha has ensured the MotoGP legend has remained a top-three fixture in the standings, the 39-year-old's undying talent rewarding him with five podiums amid his team's toil.

International Racing Driver of the Year

Open to professional racing drivers competing at an international level

Fernando Alonso

Another year, another list of Alonso superlatives. Has ended Stoffel Vandoorne’s McLaren career with his relentless brilliance and also won Le Mans at the first attempt, ending Toyota’s 24 Hours curse in the process.

Scott Dixon

Dixon quickly adapted to the 2018 IndyCar package and led a solo charge against Penske and Andretti's bigger line-up. His greatest asset was knowing when to push for a win and when to settle for points, allowing him to defeat breakthrough star Alexander Rossi for the crown.

Lewis Hamilton

Hamilton has defeated Vettel in wheel-to-wheel combat and obliterated Mercedes team-mate Valtteri Bottas this season. The 2018 campaign has been Hamilton at his peak and he secured a sensational fifth title with two races to spare.

Jean-Eric Vergne

Vergne capitalised on Audi’s calamitous start to the 2017/18 Formula E season and refused to let go of top spot once he seized the standings lead. He topped the win and pole tally with four each to score his first title since taking the 2010 British Formula 3 championship.

Max Verstappen

Verstappen has been largely faultless since putting early-season errors behind him and emerged from that spell as the most consistent driver behind Hamilton and a double race winner – just don’t tell him he changed his approach.

Sebastian Vettel

There have been mistakes, no question, but Vettel has carried the weight of Ferrari’s title hopes for two seasons and that pressure is immeasurable. Still managed five wins and now has 13 to Kimi Raikkonen’s one in their time together.

British Competition Driver of the Year

Open to British drivers competing in categories at international level

Sam Bird

Bird kept himself in the Formula E title fight until the penultimate race of the season thanks to impressive consistency, pace in qualifying and charging drives, despite the deficiencies of the Virgin/DS package. He took two wins and a further four podiums.

Jenson Button

In his first full-time programme since leaving Formula 1, Button teamed up with Naoki Yamamoto to win the Super GT title at the first attempt. He is also competing in the World Endurance Championship with SMP Racing.

Lewis Hamilton

Still the gold standard when it comes to British success abroad. Another bumper season that, in the face of a bigger Ferrari threat, has been even more lucrative than 2017.

Gary Paffett

Paffett claimed a second DTM title in Mercedes' final year, one of the few drivers in the brand to take the dominant package and show its true potential. His stunning battle with Timo Glock in the season opener set the tone for his year.

Paul di Resta

Di Resta may not have instantly matched Paffett's pace but he grew through the season to become his team-mate's biggest rival for the title. Bouncing back from a woeful Hockenheim opener for a podium the next day is the sort of resolve that wins championships - though he ultimately fell just short this time.

George Russell

Williams 2019 Formula 1 recruit Russell is on his way to emulating Charles Leclerc with back-to-back GP3 and Formula 2 titles. Racing for ART Grand Prix, the British driver has claimed six F2 wins and four poles so far his first F2 season, two and one more than any other racer.

Rally Car of the Year

Open to cars competing in rallying from international to national level

Citroen C3 WRC

Where speed mattered, Citroen’s C3 WRC came to the fore this season with a brace of superb second places in Sweden and Finland - and then took a sensational victory with returning legend Sebastien Loeb in Spain

Ford Fiesta RS WRC

This is truly a car for all surfaces, as victories in Monte, Mexico, Corsica and Wales have shown through this season. Last year’s championship-winning motor has evolved into an even quicker car courtesy of engine and aero upgrades.

Ford Fiesta R5

While the Skoda Fabia R5 may have dominated in WRC2, the Ford Fiesta R5 continues to be a competitive package in almost every country rallying takes place. With 300 built, the car took a third consecutive British Rally Championship title and a fourth European Rally Championship title in a row to boot.

Hyundai i20 Coupe WRC

Led the manufacturers’ race for much of the season, courtesy of superb speed, durability and handling when the going gets rough and rutted. The Korean firm’s maiden win in Sweden was a high point with Thierry Neuville leading from the second stage proper in the snow.

Skoda Fabia R5

In the hands of Jan Kopecky the works Skoda Fabia R5 continued to dominate the top category for the car’s formula, WRC2 - where it has won every title since it was introduced in 2016. Since the start of the 2017 season, the Skoda has taken 20 out of 24 possible event wins.

Toyota Yaris WRC

A much improved Toyota Yaris has allowed Ott Tanak to fight for the World Rally Championship this year, the car producing class-leading pace on events as diverse as Finland and Germany. Improving on events where it struggled last year, like Wales Rally GB, has been a highlight for the Tommi Makinen-run squad.

Richard Mille Rookie of the Year

Open to professional racing drivers in their first season in their respective categories

Pierre Gasly

Led the charge for the Honda-powered Toro Rosso team in his first full F1 season. A few starring results, including fourth in Bahrain, made him an obvious pick to replace Daniel Ricciardo at Red Bull – and now Max Verstappen beckons in 2019

Charles Leclerc

Big things were expected after back-to-back GP3 and Formula 2 titles, but nobody could really have imagined Leclerc earning a Ferrari promotion in his first season. Sauber’s on the up, and Leclerc has taken full advantage.

Andre Lotterer

Triple Le Mans winner Lotterer entered the 2017/18 Formula E season as a category rookie and got off to a tough start in Hong Kong. But he pushed team-mate Jean-Eric Vergne for the win in Santiago, finished third in Rome and was in contention for victories as the year wore on.

Lando Norris

Norris showed his class with a win on his F2 debut and though he’s not been victorious since he almost went the distance in the title fight – and earned his F1 graduation with McLaren in the process.

George Russell

Robert Wickens

Wickens was the first rookie to take pole on his IndyCar debut since a certain Nigel Mansell managed it in 1993. The Schmidt Peterson Motorsports driver came close to victory twice and ran with the series' best before his accident. So much so he was linked with a Penske switch.

Rally Driver of the Year

Open to professional or semi-professional rally drivers in international events

Jan Kopecky

Skoda’s homegrown hero has waited a long time for a clear WRC2 shot. He hasn’t wasted it. Five wins from his first five rallies, including Sardinia and Turkey – which should finally nail any nonsense about him being an asphalt specialist, took him to the title.

Jari-Matti Latvala

A string of podiums for the experienced Finn bolstered his Toyota Gazoo Racing squad's hunt for the World Rally Championship’s manufacturers’ award this year. What feels like a more sensible approach, without scrubbing off speed, has meant fewer driver errors and more strong results - capped with an overdue win in the finale. Bonus points for rallying a Group A Toyota Celica in Finland in his spare time too.

Thierry Neuville

A much-improved season put Thierry Neuville in pole position for the World Rally Championship title for much of 2018, as he added consistency to the speed he had shown last year. He couldn't quite stop Ogier in the end, but this was the hardest the six-time champion had been pushed in a title fight.

Sebastien Ogier

Demonstrated the same speed, guile and bravery as ever to win a sixth straight World Rally Championship title defence, having started the season in almost the best possible fashion with three wins from the first four rounds. He then had to come from behind to overcome Neuville and Tanak in what was arguably the third-best car.

Carlos Sainz

The two-time World Rally champion backed up his 2010 Dakar win with another sublime South American victory in January. Driving Peugeot’s 3008 DKR Maxi, Sainz tamed some of the toughest conditions imaginable through Peru, Argentina and Bolivia.

Ott Tanak

The Estonian showed signs of becoming a superstar last year with M-Sport, but a switch to Toyota with the much-improved Yaris has created a formidable combination. While there were reliability issues in the first half of the season, Tanak has done his best to maximise every opportunity, winning on gravel and asphalt. A worthy title contender.

National Driver of the Year

Open to drivers racing in the BTCC, British GT or at FIA F3/GP3 level

Jonny Adam

Statistically, Adam is now the most successful British GT driver after taking a third title with a third different team and co-driver this year. Further cemented his place as the driver with the most wins in the category in another strong season.

Tom Ingram

Showed incredible speed in the British Touring Car Championship this season, producing a number of stunning recovery drives from the back of the grid. The 25-year-old continued to improve and ended the year as Colin Turkington's closest rival.

Phil Keen

Yet another year where the unfortunate Keen ended the season as British GT runner-up, the third time in a row. But it was another impressive campaign for which he has been rewarded with a factory Lamborghini contract.

Ash Sutton

The reigning British Touring Car champion showed remarkable form again this year, taking the most wins of anyone (six). Ultimately finished third in the points despite having a very difficult start to the year with his troublesome Subaru Levorg.

Dan Ticktum

Last year's McLaren Autosport BRDC Award winner has impressed in his first full season in European Formula 3 and took the title fight against Mick Schumacher to the final round.

Colin Turkington

Claimed a third British Touring Car Championship title but admitted this was his toughest yet. He only took one victory all season but it was his remarkable consistency that told, rewarding him with an emotional triumph.

Racing Car of the Year

Open to cars competing in any class of circuit racing

Audi e-tron FE04

An inverter issue meant the Abt-run Audi Formula E team had a disastrous start to 2017-18. Once that was sorted, the cars flew. Lucas di Grassi ended up series runner-up, and Audi won the teams’ championship.

Dallara IR18

The manufacturer aero kits were gone, and the revamped IndyCar Series contender proved a hit both visually and on the racetrack. Hell, they could even overtake on road courses this season.

Ferrari SF71H

It’s only a few races ago that Mercedes was wondering what it could do to stop Sebastian Vettel taking the world title. As quick as the Merc as often as not, only its recent form has let the Ferrari down.

Mercedes F1 W09 Hybrid

The latest Silver Arrow was born a bit of a diva, like its predecessor. But a mid-season turnaround set Lewis Hamilton firmly on the road towards his fifth Formula 1 crown.

Toyota TS050 HYBRID

In truth, Toyota has only had itself to beat this year in the World Endurance Championship. Alonso, Buemi and Nakajima lead the points. Oh yes, and they ended Toyota’s Le Mans jinx.

Volkswagen I.D. R Pikes Peak

Using the monocoque from the Norma prototype driven last year by Romain Dumas, the Frenchman won the Colorado ‘Race to the Clouds’ in VW’s electric car. And he smashed the all-time record by 16 seconds.