GB3 Championship leader Luke Browning has been confirmed as a finalist in this year’s Aston Martin Autosport BRDC Young Driver of the Year Award, along with three former GB3/BRDC British F3 contenders.
Browning has won more races than any other driver in GB3 this year, and leads the championship by 16.5-points heading to Donington Park in October. He also has more pole positions, podiums, and fastest laps than his rivals.
Alongside him at the Silverstone assessments will be Ollie Bearman, Jamie Chadwick and Louis Foster. All three have won races in GB3 or its predecessor BRDC British F3, and are previous finalists, whereas this is the first time Browning has been named in the final four.
The assessments include fitness and simulator elements before the two-day test at the Silverstone Grand Prix circuit in MSV F2, United Autosports Ligier LMP3 and Beechdean Aston Martin Vantage GT3 cars.
The winner will receive a prize F1 test with Aston Martin, £200,000, full British Racing Drivers’ Club membership and an Arai helmet. The GB3 Championship and its predecessors has an outstanding record in the award, with six of the last seven winners having raced in the championship during the year of their Award success, including George Russell, Lando Norris, and last year’s winner Zak O’Sullivan.
“The Award is something I’ve been looking at since I stepped into car racing” Browning told Autosport Magazine. “It was a goal coming into the season. I’ve looked at the Award for years and years, and I was gutted when it didn’t run when I won British F4 in 2020, but I’m a much better driver than I was then. I can’t wait for the F2 car, it’s a monster!
BRDC Vice-President Derek Warwick is the chairman of the judging panel, which decides the winner, alongside previous award winners Darren Turner, Dario Franchitti, Andrew Kirkaldy, Alexander Sims, BTCC legend Jason Plato, Lola and McLaren designer Mark Williams, Le Mans-winning engineer Leena Gade, leading commentator Ian Titchmarsh and Autosport Chief Editor Kevin Turner.
This year’s winner will be announced at December’s Autosport Awards in London.