Rising stars from the Academy initiative once again feature strongly in the four finalists selected for this year’s highly esteemed Silverstone Autosport BRDC Young Driver of the Year Award. 

The quartet of standout young British talents shortlisted for what’s the biggest prize in junior circuit racing are (in alphabetical order) Deagen Fairclough, Arvid Lindblad, Louis Sharp and Freddie Slater. They will now face fitness tests conducted by Porsche Human Performance and simulator elements before a two-day test on the Silverstone Grand Prix circuit in MotorSport Vision F2, Aston Martin Vantage GT3 and Ligier LMP3 race cars with the ultimate victor announced at the Autosport Awards in January.  

As well as the enormous career boost of joining previous winners of the accolade including 2009 F1 World Champion Jenson Button, multiple Grand Prix winner David Coulthard, current F1 stars Lando Norris and George Russell and triple Indianapolis 500 winner Dario Franchitti, this year’s victor will take home a £200,000 prize plus a money-can’t-buy Formula 1 test with Aston Martin Aramco Formula One Team. 

Both Lindblad and Slater are already part of the Futures programme established by Motorsport UK to identify, develop and support talented competitors aged 15-24 who demonstrate exceptional potential to progress through the competitors’ pathway into the premier Team UK programme and then beyond into the upper echelons of the sport.  

Lindblad is a member of the Red Bull Junior Team and has enjoyed a meteoric rise from karting, through FIA F4 and FIA F3 to be confirmed for a drive with Campos Racing in next year’s FIA Formula 2 Championship… and he’s only just turned 17 years old! 

Slater, 16, is another of Britain’s most exciting prospects. After a record-breaking karting career he won the 2023 Ginetta Junior Championship and is in pole position to clinch the Italian F4 Championship at Barcelona this weekend.  

Fellow finalists Sharp and Fairclough – both 17 – have also proved themselves in the talent producing F4 category winning the British Championship in 2023 and 2024 respectively. Sharp is now gunning for back-to-back titles and leads the GB3 points table heading into this weekend’s season finale at Brands Hatch. Fairclough attended the Enhanced DiSE programme.

Following in the wheel tracks of McLaren and Aston Martin, Silverstone has now stepped up to become the title partner of the long-running and immensely revered Award. 

“Anyone who was at Silverstone in July would have witnessed the effect strong British driver performances have on the home crowd and the unique electric atmosphere it creates,” Silverstone MD Stuart Pringle told Autosport.  

“I believe the investment we are making into young talent is crucial for the future success of both Silverstone and the Formula 1 British Grand Prix and am proud of the part we play in helping recognised and reward outstanding British racing talent.”