Hawthorn Memorial Trophy
The Hawthorn Memorial Trophy is a motorsport award given to the most successful British or Commonwealth driver in Formula One. It has been awarded annually since 1959 to the driver that finishes highest in that year's championship.[1] The trophy is named after 1958 World Champion Mike Hawthorn, the first British World Champion, who died in 1959 in a road traffic accident. The trophy is often presented to the winning driver during the weekend of the following year's British Grand Prix.
| Hawthorn Memorial Trophy | |
|---|---|
| Awarded for | The most successful British or Commonwealth driver in Formula One in a particular year. |
| Presented by | Motor Sports Association |
| Reward(s) | Trophy |
| First awarded | 1959 |
| Currently held by | Lewis Hamilton |
The current holder is Lewis Hamilton, who has won the award a record nine times.[2]
History
Lewis Hamilton has won the award a record nine times, ranging from 2007 to 2019.[2] His eighth trophy in 2018 surpassed Nigel Mansell, the 1992 World Champion, who won the trophy seven times in the space of eight years between 1985 and 1992. The only instance of the award not going to the highest placed British or Commonwealth driver was in 1979, when the trophy was given to Alan Jones instead of Gilles Villeneuve. Villeneuve had finished runner-up in the championship, one place ahead of Jones in third. The least successful driver in any one year to win the award was Jenson Button in 2005, who only finished ninth in that year's championship.
Winners
Notes:
- Formula One World Drivers' Champions of the year in bold.
- Numbers in brackets indicate how many times the driver has won the award, up to and including that year.
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Multiple winners
Notes:
- Formula One World Drivers' Champions are listed in bold
References
- "Button receives Hawthorn Trophy". racecar.com. 8 July 2007. Archived from the original on 9 October 2007. Retrieved 16 July 2007.
- "Hamilton breaks Hawthorn Trophy record". Motor Sports Association. 19 July 2018. Retrieved 20 July 2018.