Ayrton Simmons has reached the final of the prestigious BRDC-Aston Martin-Autosport Young Driver of the Year award for 2019.

The Epping Formula 3 racer, who was runner up in British Formula 4 in 2018, completed his first full BRDC F3 season this year, finishing third overall. He will be up against F3 rival Jonathon Hoggard, Enaam Hamed and W Formula’s Jamie Chadwick.

After initially being selected in a group of 27 young drivers back in May, Simmons was subsequently selected for the last 10 in August and then for the four finalists in September.

The first part of the award-scoring proces includes fitness and race simulator assessments at Red Bull Racing, who are known not only for their Formula 1 success but also for their commitment to young driver development.

The second part of the scoring process will include timed test sessions in a Formula 2 car, LMP3 (Le Mans type) car and an Aston Martin GT.

The winner will be announced at the Autosport awards dinner on Sunday, December 8, where they will receive a prize of £200,000 race budget and the opportunity to test a Red Bull Formula 1 car in 2020.

Simmons had magnificent year in BRDC F3, always impressing with some fierce overtaking and solid defending, such as the August Silverstone round in treacherous conditions where Simmons started 12th, dropped to 15th in lap one but adapted to the wet conditions to finish fourth, with lap times 1.7 seconds faster than all other drivers and three seconds a lap faster than his championship rivals.

Driving for Chris Dittmann Racing (CDR), Simmons gained a total of three wins, 10 podiums, five fastest laps and three pole positions. The 2019 season also marked the first ever BRDC F3 win for his team CDR.

Simmons said: “I am absolutely delighted. Things like this make all the hard work and dedication worthwhile and are a real honour. I was recognised as a BRDC Rising Star earlier in the year and all these honours simply boost your confidence.

“As a young driver I have given up so much from the age of five when I first started karting. Having said that, I am very lucky to be a frontrunner in British motorsport.”