McLaren Award: Di Resta

The Scotsman, who finished third in the Formula Renault UK Championship this year, beat off a host of rising young stars to follow in the footsteps of some pretty famous names.

"It is unbelievable," said di Resta as he collected his trophy from former winner David Coulthard. "This is nice to have on your CV - and it has been an unbelievable week for me."

Di Resta took the opportunity of collecting his award to thank the support of his father and more famous cousin - Indy Racing League front-runner Dario Franchitti.

"Without my dad or Dario I would not be here now," he added. "I want to thank them because they have helped me all the way through my career."

Former winners of the McLaren Autosport BRDC Award include David Coulthard, Dario Franchitti, Ralph Firman Jr., Darren Turner, Jenson Button, Gary Paffett, Anthony Davidson and Jamie Green.

Speaking about the importance of the award, Coulthard said: "It has turned out to be the main event of the Autosport Awards and many of the drivers have gone on to compete at a very high level.

"It is a very important night for young drivers, male and female. It gave me a chance to drive a grand prix car and before you get behind the wheel you want to know what it feels like. To have that opportunity was a great experience."