This is by far the biggest accolade in UK motorsport and one which carries a prize test drive with the Vodafone McLaren Mercedes F1 Team.Inaugurated in 1989, the McLaren Autosport BRDC Award has been won by some of the sport’s most prominent stars, including 2009 FIA Formula One World Champion Jenson Button and former Grand Prix racer Anthony Davidson.Significantly, Scottish drivers have been particularly successful in the finals of the career-changing prize with top line racers such as four-time IndyCar Champion Dario Franchitti, multiple Grand Prix winner David Coulthard and F1 ace Paul Di Resta all past recipients of the award.Charlie’s nomination as one of the six finalists in the 25th year of the award is also notable as, to be eligible, drivers had to be 16-years-of-age on or before 1st January 1997 – which is actually Charlie’s birthday. This means he is believed to be the youngest ever driver put forward for the shoot-out.As well as fitness tests and interviews with a highly respected panel of judges, which will include former F1 racer and British Racing Drivers’ Club President Derek Warwick and 1997 award winner Andrew Kirkaldy, Charlie will be assessed at the wheel of a DTM Mercedes, a McLaren GT3 car and a Formula 2 single-seater at Silverstone.“I’m overwhelmed to be a finalist for the award in my first season in single-seaters, it’s a huge honour and an incredible way to end a fantastic year”, said the Whyteleafe racer, “We’ve had a lot of success in F4 this season, winning races and taking a lot of podiums, so it’s an incredible feeling to know what I’ve been doing on track has been noted by some very influential people.“Driving the DTM car and the McLaren will be amazing experiences, as will the F2 car, so I really can’t wait for the assessment days. I’m not under any illusions, I know it’s going to be unbelievably tough, but it’s such an incredible opportunity so early in my racing career.”Despite this year having been his first ever in single-seater racing, and with some technical issues having impacted on his campaign, Investigo-backed Charlie still finished third in the BRDC Formula 4 Championship standings after a superb season.By far the most dominant driver in terms of raw speed, he scorched to three race victories, six other podiums, set the fastest race lap on seven occasions and started on pole position four times. Twice he scored more points in a race meeting than any other driver and by claiming two wins during the season finale he became the only racer to take more than one victory on a single weekend.London’s Grosvenor House Hotel, on Park Lane, will be the venue for the Autosport Awards evening on Sunday, 1st December, where the deserving winner of the 25th McLaren Autosport BRDC Award will be announced.
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