BRDC British F3 race winners Johnathan Hoggard and Ayrton Simmons have an anxious wait as they build up to potentially one of the biggest nights of their careers so far on Sunday.

The pair are among the four finalists for this year’s Aston Martin Autosport BRDC Award, alongside Enaam Ahmed and Jamie Chadwick, also previous British F3 contenders. The winner of this year’s prize, one of the biggest accolades in world motorsport, will be announced on Sunday evening at the Grosvenor House Hotel in London, and will receive a test in an Aston Martin Red Bull F1 car, £200,000, a run in Aston Martin’s GTE World Endurance Championship challenger, full BRDC membership and an Arai helmet.

Previous award winners include Jenson Button, Dario Franchitti, David Coulthard, Anthony Davidson, Lando Norris and George Russell, while Tom Gamble, a British F3 race winner with Fortec in 2018 was last year’s recipient.

Hoggard became a finalist this year on the back of a successful BRDC British F3 campaign with Fortec Motorsports, in which he won seven races, finished second in the championship standings, won the Jack Cavill Pole Position Cup, and also secured a prize drive at the Rolex 24 of Daytona in January, after winning the Sunoco Whelen Challenge.

After such a glittering season, Hoggard admits he’s feeling the nerves ahead of another milestone day in his career, which could see him follow in the footsteps of fellow Fortec alumni Gamble.

“I’m feeling a bit nervous and also excited in the week running up to the awards,” he commented. “It’s been a long time coming and the anticipation is definitely building ahead of the night.”

Hoggard got behind the wheel of MSV F2, Ligier LMP3 and an Aston Martin Vantage GT3 cars during the two day assessment, while also undergoing fitness and simulator elements at Red Bull Racing. After a challenging few days, he was happy with his showing during the tests.

“I was pleased with how my performance went in the assessment as I felt like I did the best I could. One thing that particularly stood out was having the amazing opportunity to drive three incredible cars all in one day. I can’t thank everyone involved enough!”

The 18-year-old confesses that winning the award could have a significant bearing on his future career prospects.

“Winning the award would have a massive effect on my career but I think also being nominated in the first place has too. The recognition around this prestigious award is immense and I’m proud and feel privileged to be a part of it. No matter the outcome on Sunday, I’ve had an amazing experience.”