British Formula 3 drivers eligible for McLaren AUTOSPORT BRDC Award

The clarification from the Award judging panel has come in the wake of British F3's refocus for 2014, with championship points available only to those using older-spec engines.

How the Award winner is chosen

Since the Award tests began in 1990, the judges have annually selected six UK talents up to and including the second tier of F3, including the National Class of British F3.

With the restructuring of the European junior single-seater landscape, the top tier of F3 now comprises only the FIA F3 European Championship, Masters of F3 and Macau Grand Prix.

The second tier includes those F3 championships using older chassis and/or non-FIA-spec engines, such as British F3 (which will not adopt the FIA's new engine regulations for 2014), German F3 Cup and European F3 Open.

Any British driver of the right age, traditionally 16-22 on the January 1 of the year in question, competing in British F3 will thus be eligible from next year.

The McLaren AUTOSPORT BRDC Award will continue to be open to competitors from other junior categories such as Formula Renault 2.0, Formula Ford, BRDC Formula 4 and FIA Formula 4.