» New Years honours for Mansell, Newey

Two Formula 1 figures have been recognised in this year’s New Year’s Honours List, with 1992 World Champion Nigel Mansell and Red Bull Racing technical chief Adrian Newey both awarded national honours in recognition of their contribution to motorsport and the broader community.

Newey has been made an Officer of Order of the British Empire (OBE), following on from his RB7 challenger helping sweep Sebastian Vettel and the Red Bull team to back-to-back Drivers’ and Constructors’ championship titles.

Newey has been one of the sport’s leading designers for the last twenty years, and was instrumental in the success enjoyed by the Williams and McLaren teams in the early and late 1990s, respectively.

Coincidentally, it was in the Newey-designed Williams FW14B that Mansell swept to his 1992 championship title.

Fifty-eight-year-old Mansell – a previous OBE recipient – was bestowed the title of Commander of the Order of the British Empire (CBE) for his services to children and young people, as President of the UK Youth charity organisation.

Despite strong publically-supported campaigns to bestow each with a knighthood, former World Champion John Surtees and F1 commentating legend Murray Walker were each overlooked.

[Images via Sutton Images and The Cahier Archive]