Vettel, Hamilton and Bianchi honored at the Autosport Awards

The international driver of the year is unsurprisingly Sebastian Vettel (Red Bull), for his “tour de force” (in French in the text) that led him to a fourth title and 9 consecutive victories.

Sometimes booed by the audience, history will remember the German’s unrivaled supremacy at the end of the season.

He was opposed to F1 drivers Fernando Alonso (Ferrari) for his fighting spirit, Lewis Hamilton (Mercedes) for his success with his new team, and Kimi Räikkönen (Lotus), who remained in the title race for a long time.

Only two nominees in this category were not part of F1. Australian Scott Dixon (Ganassi Racing), who clinched his third IndyCar title in the season’s last race, and American Jimmie Johnson (Hendrick Motorsports), who had to fight until the checkered flag to secure his sixth NASCAR title.

Red Bull also wins the Race Car of the Year award. The RB9 designed by Adrian Newey dominated the Constructors’ Championship in Formula 1. It was up against the Mercedes F1 W04, Lotus E21, Audi RS5 DTM and R18 e-tron quattro (endurance) as well as the Dallara GP3 2013.

Made in F1

The “British Driver of the Year” category is exclusively made up of Formula 1 drivers!

Lewis Hamilton is the one who takes the prize for his brilliant debut with Mercedes. With a victory and 5 pole positions, the Englishman did more than just make an appearance.

Among the nominees is Sam Bird, the new GP2 champion. He was tested by Mercedes in F1 in 2010. For world champion Jenson Button (McLaren), it’s his hard work despite all the difficulties that earned him this nomination. For the Scotsman Paul Di Resta (Force India), his presence at the Autosport Awards is probably not a consolation. It surely won’t play a part in getting a seat for 2014.

Allan McNish, on his part, is not close to retiring. The 43-year-old Scotsman won the world endurance championship title behind the wheel of his Audi. Finally, Justin Wilson (Dale Coyne Racing) continues his career in Indycar with limited resources but quite honorable results.

The French in the spotlight

We even find F1 in the “international rally driver” category. The Polish driver Robert Kubica, a former F1 driver with BMW and Renault, was nominated for his dominance in WRC2 driving a Citroën. As for Sébastien Loeb, his F1 connections include official tests with Red Bull Racing. His presence at the Autosport Awards is due to his two victories and a second-place finish at the beginning of the season. These results allowed him to be in second place in the WRC world championship mid-season… with only 3 participations.

The winner of this category is another Frenchman sporting the energy drink’s colors, the brand-new world champion Sébastien Ogier (Volkswagen).

Regarding the award for the best rally car, Red Bull is once again highlighted on the Peugeot 208 T16. It was behind its wheel that the extraterrestrial Loeb shattered the record for the climb up Pikes Peak in Colorado, the most famous hill climb race.

In Formula 1, the award for a French driver, Jules Bianchi, is also being celebrated as he is named the best rookie of the year. The Marussia driver is recognized for his performances. His talent allowed the Russian team to clinch the tenth place in the F1 World Championship from Caterham.

The other nominees are Max Chilton (his teammate), Valtteri Bottas (Williams), Esteban Gutiérrez (Sauber), Sam Tordoff (British Touring Car), and Stoffel Vandoorne. The Belgian, a revelation of Formula Renault 3.5, is part of McLaren’s young driver program.

The last two categories, “National Driver of the Year” and “British Club Driver of the Year,” honored two ambitious young drivers who will undoubtedly continue to make waves; Andrew Jordan in touring cars and Dan Cammish in British Formula Ford.

Join us on the evening of December 6 for the FIA awards ceremony in Paris.