Award winners get test

Both drivers were allowed two runs of eight laps each on the dry but cold day - and neither made any mistakes as they were wowed by the power and handling of modern F1 machinery.

Speaking to Autosport after the test, Green said: "It is the quickest I have ever been on four wheels. The confidence you get from the car is unbelievable. It was the power, the brakes, the grip - everything!

"It is a definite step above everything I have ever driven before. There wasn't really enough time for emotion. It all went pretty quickly. My heart was beating pretty quick before I went out and even if I don't get another chance to drive an F1 car then I will have very happy memories from today."

Lloyd added: "That was absolutely fantastic. There was more power than I expected and I expected there to be a lot. The brakes were a huge difference to anything I have ever driven before and it took a while to get used to them. The car is fantastic and I definitely want some more.

"I was trying to get used to the brakes during the second eight-lap run but it wasn't until the end of the second stint that I started to find out where I could make up the time.

"When you floor the throttle for the first time it is like nothing else. There aren't really any words to describe driving a car like this."

The pair were joined at the test by Euroseries F3 front-runner Lewis Hamilton, who is a McLaren protégé. The Briton was ineligible to win the McLaren Autosport BRDC Award because he had raced in Formula 3 in the year that he was nominated.