Q&A: McLaren Autosport BRDC Award finalist Ricky Collard
BRDC British Formula 3 runner-up Ricky Collard says winning the McLaren Autosport BRDC Award would change his life, ahead of this Sunday's Autosport Awards
This year's Award winner, and the recipient of a prize McLaren Formula 1 test, will be revealed at the prestigious end-of-season ceremony on Sunday.
BRDC British Formula 3 runner-up Collard features in the first in a series of interviews to introduce the four young drivers fighting to join the likes of 2009 F1 champion Jenson Button as a winner of the Award.
Q: What was your reaction when you got the news that you had been nominated for the Award?
Ricky Collard: My initial reaction was pure excitement; I tried to play it cool and calm on the phone, but sprinted down the stairs to shout the good news. Once the news had soaked in I immediately focused on setting out a plan, which involved reviewing my performance and the feedback from the judges last year, to come back stronger, faster and more determined. I wanted to demonstrate to the judges that I am a credible winner this year.
Q: What makes the Award so special in your eyes?
RC: The Award is so special because it gives a very select handful of drivers the opportunity to be on the same track in the same car, which means there's nowhere to hide, and with such a prestigious host of judges it's crucial you bring your A-game. The list of prizes for the winner gives the Award a very special honour because of its ability to change someone's life forever.
Q: Which element were you most looking forward to during the test days and why?
RC: The element I was most looking forward to was the F2 car, because it's the fastest! Of course the DTM was great and I would like to do work with DTM in the future. I was very surprised how fast the McLaren GT3 car was and the increase in the performance was definitely noticeable. So on the whole I just loved all elements of the driving - I'm a racer! I want to thank all the teams for letting me drive such fantastic cars. I've learnt so much and had a blast.
Q: What would it mean to you if you won the Award?
RC: It would change my life and catapult my career towards F1. I have tried so hard this year and my will to win is greater than ever. I will be joined on the night by my whole family. It would be a great achievement to be the first member of our family to test an F1 car, and especially with such a prestigious team like McLaren, this would be a truly special way to repay them.
Be part of the Autosport community
Join the conversationShare Or Save This Story
Subscribe and access Autosport.com with your ad-blocker.
From Formula 1 to MotoGP we report straight from the paddock because we love our sport, just like you. In order to keep delivering our expert journalism, our website uses advertising. Still, we want to give you the opportunity to enjoy an ad-free and tracker-free website and to continue using your adblocker.
Top Comments