Hawthorn Memorial Trophy

Hawthorn Memorial Trophy
SportMotorsport
CompetitionFormula One
Awarded forThe most successful British or Commonwealth driver in Formula One in a particular year.
History
First winnerJack Brabham (1959)
Most winsLewis Hamilton (12)
Most recentLewis Hamilton (2023)

The Hawthorn Memorial Trophy is an annual award honouring the achievements of a British or Commonwealth driver in Formula One motor racing.[1][2] The Royal Automobile Club (RAC) launched it on 1 May 1959 as a memorial for Mike Hawthorn,[3] a racing driver who retired immediately after becoming the first British Formula One World Drivers' Champion in the 1958 season as a result of the death of his teammate Peter Collins.[4][5] The gilt and silver trophy,[6] created by K. Lessons of the Goldsmiths Company in 1960,[7][6] is mounted on a wooden pedestal and features chequered flags and the Union Flag.[8] It is presented to the most successful British or Commonwealth driver of the previous year's Formula One World Championship.[9] The trophy was initially presented at an annual ceremony held at the RAC's headquarters and club in London,[10][11] but Motorsport UK currently awards it at the following year's British Grand Prix at Silverstone Circuit.[12][13] The award is considered prestigious in the motor racing world.[9][14]

The inaugural winner was the Australian driver Jack Brabham who won the 1959 championship. He went on to win the 1960 title, and thus, became the first competitor to retain the accolade.[1] The first British winner was Stirling Moss for the 1961 season,[15][16] and the inaugural recipient from New Zealand was Denny Hulme after winning the 1967 championship.[17][18] The only Canadian recipient was Jacques Villeneuve following his winning the championship in the 1997 season.[16][19] The least successful winner over the course of a season was Jenson Button, who finished in ninth position in the 2005 standings.[20][21] British racers have won the trophy fifty-three times, followed by Australians with eight victories, New Zealanders with three wins and one Canadian winner. Of the nineteen recipients, all but seven have gone on to win the World Championship, with a total of 25 wins between them.[17] The winner of the 2023 edition was Lewis Hamilton, who finished third in that season's World Drivers' Championship.[22]

  1. ^ a b "Hawthorn Trophy For Brabham". The Times. No. 54902. 14 October 1960. p. 21. Archived from the original on 7 February 2022. Retrieved 24 November 2019 – via The Times Digital Archive.
  2. ^ "Trophy for Stirling Moss". The Birmingham Post. 13 February 1962. p. 5. Archived from the original on 14 February 2022. Retrieved 14 February 2022 – via Newspapers.com.
  3. ^ "Mike Hawthorn Memorial R.A.C. launches appeal". The Manchester Guardian. 2 May 1959. p. 3. Archived from the original on 7 February 2022. Retrieved 31 July 2020 – via Newspapers.com.
  4. ^ Hamilton, Maurice (21 January 2019). "Sixty years on: The untimely death of Britain's first world champion, Mike Hawthorn". ESPN. Archived from the original on 26 January 2019. Retrieved 31 August 2020.
  5. ^ "Lewis Hamilton wins Hawthorn Memorial Trophy". Speedcafe. 3 July 2015. Archived from the original on 6 July 2015. Retrieved 1 August 2020.
  6. ^ a b "Hawthorn Memorial Trophy". Royal Automobile Club. Archived from the original on 15 August 2020. Retrieved 31 July 2020.
  7. ^ "Hawthorn Trophy For Brabham". The Times. No. 54902. 14 October 1960. p. 21. Archived from the original on 7 February 2022. Retrieved 24 November 2019 – via The Times Digital Archive.
  8. ^ "Motorsport UK awards Lewis Hamilton the prestigious Hawthorn Memorial Trophy". Motorsport UK. 6 August 2020. Archived from the original on 15 August 2020. Retrieved 11 July 2021.
  9. ^ a b Baldwin, Alan (2 July 2015). Osmond, Ed (ed.). "Hamilton gets his hands on a proper trophy". Reuters. Archived from the original on 15 August 2020. Retrieved 31 July 2020.
  10. ^ "Brabham given gold medal". The Canberra Times. Australian Associated Press/Reuters. 1 February 1967. p. 29. Archived from the original on 7 February 2022. Retrieved 24 November 2019 – via Trove.
  11. ^ "Stewart takes top award for third successive year". The Times. No. 58962. 8 January 1974. p. 9. Archived from the original on 7 February 2022. Retrieved 24 November 2019 – via The Times Digital Archive.
  12. ^ "Trophy for Stirling Moss". The Birmingham Post. 13 February 1962. p. 5. Archived from the original on 14 February 2022. Retrieved 14 February 2022 – via Newspapers.com.
  13. ^ Arbon, Adam (9 July 2016). "Hamilton dedicates the Hawthorn trophy to his fans". The Checkered Flag. Archived from the original on 10 July 2016. Retrieved 31 July 2020.
  14. ^ Noble, Jonathan (21 January 2008). "Hamilton receives Hawthorn Memorial". Autosport. Archived from the original on 28 January 2008. Retrieved 1 August 2020.
  15. ^ Cite error: The named reference WFPMar62 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  16. ^ a b Cite error: The named reference ListWinners5903 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  17. ^ a b Cite error: The named reference HMTWinners was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  18. ^ Cite error: The named reference BTMar68 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  19. ^ Cite error: The named reference WSJul98 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  20. ^ Riley, Catherine (12 June 2006). "Trophy offers little consolation to Button". The Times. p. 62. ProQuest 319547754. Archived from the original on 7 February 2022. Retrieved 31 July 2020 – via ProQuest.
  21. ^ Cite error: The named reference WTJun06 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  22. ^ Cite error: The named reference 2023Winner was invoked but never defined (see the help page).