Mansell honoured for lifetime achievement at Autosport Awards

Mansell is one of only four drivers – the others being Mario Andretti, Emerson Fittipaldi and Jacques Villeneuve – to become champion in the premier open-wheel racing categories on both sides of the Atlantic, and the only one to (briefly) hold the titles simultaneously.

The Award is named after Autosport magazine’s founder and longest-serving editor, 1950-’69, Gregor Grant, and was presented to Mansell by six-time Olympic cycling gold medalist, Sir Christopher Hoy.

Mansell was three-time runner-up in the Formula 1 World Championship – 1986, ’87 and ’91 – before nailing the title in 1992 in the Williams-Renault FW14B, at the age of 39.

Having failed to agree terms with team owner Sir Frank Williams for ’93, Mansell signed a deal with Newman/Haas Racing, the squad founded by Carl Haas and Paul Newman, to race in the CART Indy car series in 1993.

Despite his rookie status, and strong opposition from Team Penske’s Paul Tracy and Emerson Fittipaldi, Mansell took the title with five wins and seven pole positions, and finished third in the Indianapolis 500.

The dominant Penske PC23s of 1994 ensured he was unable to defend his crown – nor even score a win – but following Ayrton Senna’s death in May 1994, Mansell made four ‘one-off’ returns to F1 with Williams again. The last of these, in Adelaide, earned Mansell his 31^st and final Formula 1 victory.

When Williams opted to take the young David Coulthard to partner Damon Hill for 1995, Mansell signed a deal with McLaren, but it ended after just two races together.

Mansell was inducted into the International Motorsports Hall of Fame in 2005, and is president of the Institute of Advanced Motorists in Britain.