F1 in Schools, set up by chairman Andrew Denford, of Brighouse, was picked for the Pioneering and Innovation in Motorsport award at the Annual Autosport Awards – one of the motorsport industry's most prestigious awards.

The iconic award has been won by some of the most important innovations in the sport, including the Hans device, Safer barrier used at race tracks around the world, and the GP2 Series.

F1 in Schools sets teams of students around the world the task of designing, manufacturing and racing mini radio-controlled cars. They prepare the accounts plan a presentation and then compete against other schools in regional heats.

Mr Denford, who picked up the award, said: "This is a fantastic achievement for F1 in Schools.

"We reach out to more than 15 million students around the world, introducing them to Formula 1 and using its popularity to encourage them to consider science, technology, engineering and maths as a career.

"The world of Formula 1 has embraced our initiative, with all the teams supporting us, which has been a very important part of our success.

"We can help to attract young, bright engineers to the industry."

F1 is now in more than 30 countries.

The awards was held at Grosvenor House Hotel in London, attended by more than 1,000 luminaries from the motorsport industry, including world champion Jenson Button