AUTOSPORT Awards Racing Car of the Year: Red Bull RB7

The machine, which took Sebastian Vettel to the Formula 1 world title and Mark Webber to third place in the championship, overcame competition from the rival McLaren MP4-26, the Audi R18 and Peugeot 908 sportscars, the new generation Dallara GP2/11 and the World Touring Car Championship-dominating Chevrolet Cruze to take the prize.

It is the second year in a row that a Red Bull has won the award, the RB6 having taken it in 2010.

Chief technical officer Adrian Newey collected the award from Martin Brundle, and was joined on stage by chief designer Rob Marshall, head of race engineering Ian Morgan and chief engineer Mark Ellis.

Newey said: "Last year we produced a good car but made it very difficult for ourselves. This year out of the blocks from the start, the car was competitive right away and we just managed to keep it there, and that's a credit to everyone.

"Some of the races have been very close and it's a tribute to the team and drivers that we've stayed there."

As the successor to the world title-winning RB6 of 2010, the RB7 became a reality thanks to the work of Marshall and head of aerodynamics Peter Prodromou.

Even from pre-season testing, the Red Bull's grip levels looked sensational, despite other teams taking much of the glory on the timesheets. And so it proved at the season-opening Australian Grand Prix when Vettel won from pole position.

In total, the RB7 won 12 of the 19 races held in 2011, set a new all-time record for the number of pole positions in a single season with 18, and also set 10 fastest laps as Vettel racked up his second world championship on the bounce and Webber claimed third in the points standings.