FINAL 10 AMABA CANDIDATES REVEALED FOR 2022
The final 10 candidates for the 2022 Aston Martin Autosport BRDC Young Driver of the Year Award have been selected.
The Award, which started in 1989, aims to find and assist the best junior British racing drivers. Aston Martin joined the Award in 2019 and the prize for this year’s winner includes £200,000 and a Formula 1 test drive.
The final 10 are:
Taylor Barnard (German and Italian F4)
Ollie Bearman (FIA F3)
Luke Browning (GB3)
Jamie Chadwick (W Series)
Louis Foster (Indy Pro 2000)
Oliver Gray (British F4)
Aiden Neate (British F4)
Abbi Pulling (W Series)
Nikolas Taylor (GB4)
Callum Voisin (GB3)
Finalists have to be primarily competing in a category below FIA Formula 3 or be an FIA F3 rookie, and be 16 years old by the time of the Award tests at Silverstone in October. They must also be under 24 at the start of the relevant year.
Bearman, Foster (both 2021) and Chadwick (2019) have previously made it into the final four.
British Racing Drivers’ Club vice-president and F1 driver steward Derek Warwick is the chairman of the judging panel, which includes Award winners Andrew Kirkaldy, Alexander Sims and Darren Turner, three-time Indianapolis 500 victor Dario Franchitti, double British Touring Car champion Jason Plato, successful Lola and McLaren designer Mark Williams, top engineer Leena Gade, leading commentator Ian Titchmarsh and Autosport Chief Editor Kevin Turner.
The judges, who reserve the right to introduce a wild card for drivers excelling during the closing stages of the season, will select the final four during the next two months.
After two days of testing at Silverstone, in a range of cars including MotorSport Vision Formula 2, GT3 and LMP3 machinery, the winner will be announced at the Autosport Awards on 4 December.
Former winners include 2009 F1 world champion Jenson Button, 13-time grand prix winner David Coulthard, Franchitti, World Endurance champion Anthony Davidson, and current F1 stars George Russell and Lando Norris.
The final 10
Taylor Barnard
4th in German F4 with PHM Racing
An unfamiliar face in Britain because he has been competing abroad since stepping into single-seaters in 2020, Barnard is contesting both the competitive German and Italian F4 championships this season. Prema dominates in both but the 18-year-old is currently best of the rest in Germany with PHM Racing in fourth.
Ollie Bearman
5th in FIA F3 with Prema
It’s a big jump from national-level Formula 4 to FIA F3 but the Ferrari Driver Academy member has made the move with crack team Prema. Bearman, 17, took the German and Italian F4 titles last year, becoming an Award finalist, and has four F3 podiums to his name so far in 2022.
Luke Browning
2nd in GB3 with Hitech
Browning looked a promising prospect through his time in Ginetta Junior and F4 but has really impressed in his first full season in GB3. Five wins and five poles, including a fine double at Spa, have helped put the 20-year-old Hitech driver firmly in the title fight.
Jamie Chadwick
1st in W Series
Already the star of the W Series with two titles, 24-year-old Chadwick has been even more dominant in 2022. Second at the Hungaroring last weekend was her first defeat in the series since September last year and she is on the verge of securing her third crown.
Louis Foster
1st in Indy Pro 2000 with Exclusive Autosport
Foster decided to make the jump to American motorsport in 2021 and knew he had to deliver in the relatively low-level Indy Pro 2000 as he attempts to climb the Road to Indy ladder. The 19-year-old is doing just that, six wins in the last eight races launching him into a comfortable championship lead with four races to go.
Oliver Gray
2nd in British F4 with Carlin
There was a lot of change in British F4 for 2022, including the switch from Mygale to Tatuus chassis, negating the usual advantage for second-year drivers. Irishman Alex Dunne, with experience of the previous Tatuus from German F4 in 2021, is the undoubted benchmark but Gray, 17, has scored 11 podiums so far and is a strong second.
Aiden Neate
4th in British F4 with Argenti
The son of former British Touring Car racer Andy, 16-year-old Neate really seems to have stepped up this season after a middling British F4 campaign in 2021. He stayed with Argenti and has become a consistent frontrunner, with a pole and two wins helping him to fourth in the standings.
Abbi Pulling
4th in W Series
Chadwick provides the obvious – and experienced – benchmark but Pulling has impressed many with her W Series efforts. She’s still waiting for that elusive first victory but the 19-year-old has become one of Chadwick’s closest challengers and is fourth in the table.
Nikolas Taylor
1st in GB4 with Fortec
Taylor has been the class act in GB4, a new series for the older-generation Tatuus F4 machine. A hat-trick at Silverstone last weekend took his tally to eight victories from 18 races and launched the 17-year-old Fortec driver into the points lead.
Callum Voisin
3rd in GB3 with Carlin
Voisin showed impressive pace in Ginetta Junior before making the leap to GB3 this season with Carlin. Despite his lack of slicks-and-wings experience, 16-year-old Voisin has shown well, scoring two victories, and currently sits third in the points following a strong weekend at Silverstone.
