Fifth BTCC title: Ash Sutton crowned the new record title-holder

Following victories in 2017, 2020, 2021 and 2023, Ash Sutton was crowned BTCC champion for the fifth time this Sunday. Driving the NAPA Racing UK Ford Focus, the 32-year-old Briton secured the title with five races remaining.

Sutton started the race from twelfth on the grid. Within just eight laps, the Ford driver stormed to the front of the field and went on to control the race, clinching the title in commanding fashion.

With this fifth title, Sutton, aged just 32, has become the most successful driver in the long history of the prestigious British Touring Car Championship. Previously, Sutton shared the top spot in this statistic with Andy Rouse and Colin Turkington, who had each won four titles.

“I can now agree with everyone,” Sutton exclaimed after the second race on the National Course at Silverstone. “To be standing here with five BTCC titles from eleven seasons is phenomenal and not a bad success rate at all. With the soft tyres and full boost, I wanted to do it proper Ash-style. It was full-on attack, and even when I got to the front, I just kept pushing. To be honest, I’m still a bit speechless. Having my family here with me is something very special, and the team is like a family in its own right. They do so much to enable me to do what I love, and for that I’ll be eternally grateful to them.”

It remains unclear, however, how much longer Sutton will compete in the BTCC. In the past, there has been repeated speculation as to whether Sutton will become more involved in European GT racing in future. Last year, he took part in several test sessions with the GT World Challenge Europe team Paradine Competition. In 2025 and 2026, he contested one race each for the British BMW team in the GT World Challenge Europe Endurance Cup, the largest and most important GT3 racing series in the world.