Valtteri Bottas has collected the Bandini Trophy in Italy, which included a brief run in a Mercedes W07 through village streets.
The Bandini Trophy is awarded annually in honour of Lorenzo Bandini, who sustained fatal injuries in a crash at the 1967 Monaco Grand Prix.
Past recipients of the trophy include Fernando Alonso, Sebastian Vettel, Lewis Hamilton, Daniel Ricciardo and Max Verstappen, while Ferrari received the honour last year.
Bottas piloted Mercedes’ 2016 title-winning W07 along the 12km route from Faenza to Brisighella, accompanied by a police escort, to collect the accolade.
"This is a big honour," he said. "I saw the list of drivers who received the Bandini Trophy before. There are some really impressive names on that list – just think of the total amount of championships these people have won!
"So I feel very honoured to now be a Bandini winner myself. I had some good moments last year and it's nice to be recognised for those. Driving the 2016 car on the roads just added to the excitement of this great day."
The Finn currently holds fourth position in the 2018 Formula 1 standings, having missed out on victory at the Azerbaijan Grand Prix due to a late-race puncture.
