Sebastian Vettel was named International Racing Driver of the Year at the AUTOSPORT Awards in London.
Vettel became the youngest World Champion in Formula 1 history this year after coming out on top of a four-way battle for the title at the final race in Abu Dhabi.
The 23-year-old German received his award from 13-time grand prix winner David Coulthard, the man he replaced at Red Bull in 2009.
"It's been a tiring month, but a very exciting one, too. The wheels haven't stopped turning yet," said Vettel, who beat the likes of Fernando Alonso, Dario Franchitti and Lewis Hamilton to the award. "Yesterday we had a very special night with the guys from the team in London, which was very special because I've been around the planet since the one night we had in Abu Dhabi. It's been great to be back with them and to be able to celebrate this properly."
A constant threat at the front of the F1 field this year, Vettel's year appeared to be falling apart at the midseason point after collisions with his teammate Mark Webber in the Turkey and Britain and Jenson Button in Belgium. However, a string of stirring drives toward the end of the year resulted in three wins from the final four races and helped him to overturn a 25-point deficit to Fernando Alonso to become champion in Abu Dhabi.
During the season, Vettel scored five wins and took 10 pole positions – twice as many as anybody else managed to achieve.