Autosport Awards 2018
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Motorsport UK chairman David Richards is now up on stage to present the Rally Driver of the Year category.
Another quick video treat for you before we move on to the Rally Driver of the Year category - here’s a quick look back at last year's awards highlights
Malcolm Wilson receives the Rally Car of the Year award
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Ratel says he expected to receive a lifetime like the Gregor Grant award much later in his life!
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No time for rest - we're straight on to our first Gregor Grant award of the evening, which has been presented to GT supremo Stephane Ratel.
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Mercedes' chief engineer Phil Crew said of the team's success: "As the season progressed we got stronger and we did enough to win the championship."
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This success is Mercedes' fifth successive win in the Racing Car of the Year category.
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And the winner is... the Mercedes W09!
The cars up for this year's award are the Audi e-tron FE04, Dallara IR18, Volkswagen's I.D. R Pikes Peak, the Toyota TS050 HYBRID WEC challenger and the Mercedes W09 and Ferrari SF71H F1 challengers.
Just before we move on to the Racing Car of Year award - Allan McNish is up on stage to present the prize - here's a look back at last year's winner.
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"I'm very, very happy to receive this special award but of course I'm very, very sorry I cannot be here with all of you because we are in the Andorra for the FIM Gala," said Marquez.
"But I would like to say thanks to all the Motorsport Network, they supported and followed me during all these years. I'm happy, it's time to enjoy it. See you in 2019. Full gas."
"But I would like to say thanks to all the Motorsport Network, they supported and followed me during all these years. I'm happy, it's time to enjoy it. See you in 2019. Full gas."
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Moving very swiftly on, the Rider of the Year presented by Tata Communications award has been announced - and there's no surprise to see five-time MotoGP champion Marc Marquez claiming the prize.
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M-Sport boss Malcolm Wilson collected the award, and said: "It's been an incredible year, after Rally Turkey we were 23 points behind with three rallies to go and it wasn't looking the best.
When you have someone like Ogier driving for you, you never give up, as he said he drove like his grandmother at rally Australia but it was enough. We will miss Sebastien we have had an incredible two years, it's time to regroup and see what we can do."
When you have someone like Ogier driving for you, you never give up, as he said he drove like his grandmother at rally Australia but it was enough. We will miss Sebastien we have had an incredible two years, it's time to regroup and see what we can do."
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The Rally Car of the Year award goes to M-Sport's Ford Fiesta RS WRC, which took Sebastien Ogier to his sixth-straight WRC title and second in as many years with the semi-independent M-Sport outfit.
Nicki Shields and David Croft are back on stage, and have been joined by BRDC president Paddy Hopkirk, who will present the Rally Car of the Year award.
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Formula E CEO Alejandro Agag has been speaking to Julia Piquet before we proceed with more awards.
"After a quite short conversation we decided to go for Jean Todt's option!" says Agag, of the design of Formula E's new Gen2 car. "I have to say it's far better than mine."
On whether FE could return to race in London, Agag added: "We had two great races in Battersea Park, then we had some problems with the people [local residents]. But I have a secret meeting with David Richards tomorrow. I know I'm not the only one trying to race on the streets of London."
"After a quite short conversation we decided to go for Jean Todt's option!" says Agag, of the design of Formula E's new Gen2 car. "I have to say it's far better than mine."
On whether FE could return to race in London, Agag added: "We had two great races in Battersea Park, then we had some problems with the people [local residents]. But I have a secret meeting with David Richards tomorrow. I know I'm not the only one trying to race on the streets of London."
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We're back underway in central London. The next prize to be revealed will be Rally Car of the Year.
Here are your four MABA finalists (accompanied by Autosport's very own Matt Kew), pictured arriving at the Grosvenor House earlier this evening
The evening will, as is traditional, climax with the reveal of this year's McLaren Autosport BRDC Award winner. Jamie Caroline, Max Fewtrell, Tom Gamble and Kiern Jewiss are the four finalists.
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This is your two-minute warning until the Awards resumes.
While Lewis Hamilton isn't here tonight, a host of other A-listers from the world of motorsport are - including WRC champion Sebastien Ogier
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Before that happens, there's just one more category to bring you up to speed on - the Autosport Williams Engineer of the Future award. This year's prize was won by Imperial College London student Owen Heaney. 
2018 Autosport Williams Engineer of the Future winner revealed
Owen Heaney has won the 2018 Autosport Williams Engineer of the Future Award
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The main part of the evening should get going in the next 10 minutes. More helpful and accurate updates will be provided as and when.
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Asked about the Red Bull junior, Warwick said: "He deserves to be in F1. He’s good, one of the best drivers we’ve had through the MABA awards. He says what he thinks - before he thinks - but I think that’s good in F1. There’s too many vanilla drivers, so it’s nice to see someone a bit controversial.
"He's obviosuly got the speed, he’s very quick, intelligent, he’s good working for the team and I think he’s got everything he needs to be an F1 driver."
"He's obviosuly got the speed, he’s very quick, intelligent, he’s good working for the team and I think he’s got everything he needs to be an F1 driver."
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Last year's McLaren Autosport BRDC Award winner Dan Ticktum received the National Driver of the Year award, beating a host of stars from the domestic racing scene to the accolade. Ticktum, who defended his Macau Grand Prix title last month, was not present to accept the award, which was instead collected by MABA judge Derek Warwick. 
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There was a brief pause in the prizegiving next, as Red Bull F1 boss Christian Horner - who earlier this year attempted to balance an Aston Martin Vantage sportscar on two wheels - passed the Grand Prix Trust Industry Leaders' Challenge baton to Mercedes' Toto Wolff. 
Hamilton collected his brother's awards from this evening's hosts Nicki Shields and David Croft
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Those awards were picked up by Hamilton’s younger brother Nicolas, who also revealed he expects to be on the British Touring Car Championship grid in 2019 “If everyone comes together”.
Nicolas, who has cerebral palsy, previously contested a part-campaign in the series in 2015 in an AmD Tuning Audi S3.
Nicolas, who has cerebral palsy, previously contested a part-campaign in the series in 2015 in an AmD Tuning Audi S3.
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Hamilton’s stunning run to a fifth F1 world championship title, which meant he equalled the total achieved by Juan Manuel Fangio, helped him claim the British Competition Driver and International Racing Driver of the Year presented by Pirelli prizes - both of which he won for a sixth time. 
But wait! Don’t go anywhere just yet - we’ve already got some AWARDS news to update you on. A handful of prizes have already been given out this evening - the first two of which went to Lewis Hamilton.
Dinner service is well underway ahead of the main part of this evening’s prizegiving, which is due to start in the next half an hour.
Hello, and a very warm welcome to live coverage of the 2018 Autosport Awards from the Grosvenor House Hotel in London.
By: Geoff Creighton
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