The Autosport Awards – widely regarded as the biggest night in world motorsport – will feature a series of new innovations in 2017. This year’s Awards will take place on Sunday 3rd December at Grosvenor House Hotel and will include a new presenter line-up, featuring F1 legend David Coulthard and leading broadcaster Lee McKenzie.
It will also feature an all-new stage, format and a glamorous red carpet entrance to welcome nominees and winners from all over the globe. Fans will also be able to watch the Awards on a live global broadcast on Motorsport.tv, Autosport.com and Motorsport.com.
Former F1 racing driver Coulthard took 13 grand prix wins in a glittering Formula 1 career, racing with Williams, McLaren and Red Bull. He has a personal connection with the Autosport Awards having been the inaugural winner of the coveted McLaren Autosport BRDC Award in 1989.
Coulthard is joined by fellow Scot, Lee McKenzie. McKenzie has been a journalist since she was 15 years old and is a core part of the British F1 presenting scene. In 2007, McKenzie won the Jim Clark Memorial Award for contributions to motorsport.
David Coulthard said: “I am delighted to be a part of the presentation team for the Autosport Awards 2017. I have been a lifelong fan of Autosport and the many other quality brands within the group; and as a former winner of the McLaren Autosport BRDC Award, I look forward to celebrating the new talent rising through the motorsport ranks whilst acknowledging the many other great success stories this season. The Autosport Awards remains the premier evening to celebrate all forms of motorsport and I look forward to being part of evolving the night to reflect changing times.”
Lee McKenzie said: “It’s a huge honour to be presenting the Awards having attended and enjoyed them over the years. To be surrounded by so much success and talent from the motorsport community is always a humbling experience. The look of the awards may have evolved but the DNA remains and is key to the success and longevity of the event.”
Autosport has thanked Steve Rider, as he steps down from his role as presenter after 28 years leading the proceedings at the annual Autosport Awards.
Steve Rider said:“Following 28 years presenting the Autosport Awards, it feels like an appropriate time to step away and leave the event in the very capable hands of Lee and David. I am sure that they are the right people to take over presenting an event that I have enjoyed developing with the Autosport team. I’m proud to have been a part of this prestigious event for such a long time and I wish Lee and David the best as they take the event forward to a bigger, better future.”
The 2017 event will feature an all-new stage and format developed by Autosport in partnership with Velocity, which was also the production team behind F1 Live, on the streets of London this July. For the first time, guests will enter the Awards at Grosvenor House Hotel via a red carpet arrival.
Andrew Van de Burgt, Editor-In-Chief at Autosport Media UK said:“The Autosport Awards is widely regarded as the biggest night in motorsport and a celebration of everything we love about racing. With the new presenting line-up, all-new staging, format and red carpet arrival, the 2017 Awards are set to be the biggest and best ever. With Autosport being part of the Motorsport Network, fans around the world can, for the first time, watch all the awards live on Motorsport.tv.”
The Autosport Awards are presented by Motorsport Network – the world’s largest independent automotive and motorsport-related digital platform, connecting millions of people who love motorsport and cars. The network also produces & manages key industry events including Autosport International.
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