Bruno Senna has been awarded the 2012 Lorenzo Bandini Trophy and becomes the 19th recipient since the award was established in 1992.
The trophy is a prize awarded in memory of Italian race car driver Lorenzo Bandini by his hometown of Brisighella, near Imola.
Past winners have included former Williams F1 driver Juan Pablo Montoya, current Williams F1 driver mentor Alex Wurz, and past World Champions Lewis Hamilton, Fernando Alonso and Michael Schumacher.
It is traditionally awarded to a driver who has shown great promise at the beginning of their career, befitting the memory of Lorenzo Bandini who was the leading Italian racing driver at the time of his tragic death at the 1967 Monaco Grand Prix.
It is customary for the winner to make the 12 kilometre drive from Faenza to Brisighella to reach the ceremony, driving on public streets with fans gathering to congratulate.
Speaking about the award, Bruno Senna said, “It’s a great honour to receive the Lorenzo Bandini Trophy, particularly when you consider the excellent racing drivers that have been awarded it in the past.
“I would like to thank the people of Brisighella for their kind support and generosity as well as all of those who have helped me in my career so far. I’m very much looking forward to the prize giving ceremony next month, which promises to be a great event.”