Louis Sharp honoured at FIA Prize Giving in Baku

Louis Sharp’s stellar title-winning season reached a tumultuous finale over the weekend when the newly crowned ROKiT F4 British Champion received his coveted FIA trophy during a star-studded weekend in Baku (8/9 December).

On Friday evening the super talented 16-year-old New Zealander joined an exclusive gathering of all 2023’s major motorsport title winners at the prestigious FIA Prize Giving ceremony which crowns champions from every branch of international motorsport.

The focal point was Max Verstappen receiving the FIA Formula One World Championship for Drivers trophy for the third time in his career in reward for his record-breaking season that resulted in a total of 19 wins achieved across the 22 races held this year.

While the glittering event honours all the top elite drivers, manufacturers and teams from the world’s premier motorsport series, it also endorses the rising stars of tomorrow.

As one of the world’s premier junior single-seater series, the ROKiT F4 British Championship is ‘Certified by FIA’ and thus Sharp was among the next generation of talented young guns collecting their prized awards in Azerbaijan.

Having been an invited guest at Friday’s evening’s spectacular FIA Prize Giving where all of 2023’s World Champions were presented with their trophies, Sharp’s own moment to savour came on Saturday in a second dedicated Rally and Circuit Prize Giving ceremony, this time recognising the standout achievements of regional and national title winners over the last 12 months.

FIA President Mohammed Ben Sulayem said: “Every FIA champion and title winner deserves their moment of recognition, and I am pleased that we have dedicated a day of celebration to the winners of many of our competitions that happen all around the world. Motor sport is a passionate and diverse community, and it is important for us to come together once the rivalries are settled to enjoy this day together. My congratulations go to all the men and women who have collected a trophy here today.”

“It was an incredibly cool experience and an awesome end to what has been an unforgettable season ­­– hopefully, just the first FIA Prize Giving of many more to come,” said Sharp who is tipped as a future F1 star. “None of this, though, would have been possible without the amazing support I’ve had from David Dicker and Rodin Cars. I must thank them all once again for making it possible.”

Since sealing the British F4 Championship at Brands Hatch, the young Kiwi has won a number of major accolades. He was voted the UK’s National Racing Driver of the Year for 2023 in a readers’ poll conducted by Motorsport News magazine and last week was presented with the Henry Surtees Award by the British Racing Drivers Club.

After collecting his latest award in Baku, Sharp is now looking forward to spending Christmas at home in Christchurch after spending nearly ten months in Europe. Once refreshed, he will return to England in late January for the next step towards his dream of a hallowed place on a future Grand Prix grid.