What awaits the McLaren AUTOSPORT BRDC Award winner

Get to Formula 1. That is what most aspiring young racing drivers want to achieve, even if for most it will forever remain a dream. This explains why, despite the £100,000 that goes with it, the most special aspect of the McLaren AUTOSPORT BRDC Award prizes is the F1 test.

And this year it was Jake Dennis's turn to jump into a McLaren on the Silverstone Grand Prix circuit.

Dennis, 18, looks at home sitting in the MP4-26 chassis 02, the very car that 1998 McLaren AUTOSPORT BRDC Award winner Jenson Button took to a dramatic victory in the 2011 Canadian Grand Prix.

'Jenson' and 'Sergio' signs sit either side of Dennis, whose friends and family are present to watch him get his first taste of F1, and two of McLaren's GT cars are next door, ready to play their part in the 2013 selection process.

The team fires the MP4-26 into life and Dennis pulls out of the pits with no problem. He's pretty sensible down the pitlane too, unlike some other former winners!

Jake Dennis wins the McLaren AUTOSPORT BRDC Award in 2012 © LAT

Installation lap compete, it's straight back into the garage and tyre warmers are placed on the demonstration Pirelli rubber.

While McLaren's Indy Lall oversees proceedings, Award judges Mark Williams and Derek Warwick walk over to chat to Dennis.

Even for Warwick, a veteran of 146 world championship GPs, this is a special moment.

"Every year it gives me goosebumps watching family, friends and sponsors, who have all put so much in to a young driver's career, witness them go out in an F1 car for the first time," he says after Dennis heads out for his second run.

"You see tears in people's eyes. It's extraordinary. You cannot underestimate this part of the Award. It's massive."

After another short run, Dennis is joined in the garage by the six 2013 finalists - Jack Aitken, Jake Hughes, Chris Middlehurst, Seb Morris, Matt Parry and Charlie Robertson - all there to take a look at one of the things they are fighting for.

Another former winner, Alexander Sims, on hand as benchmark driver for the GT cars, recalls how confidence-inspiring he found the F1 car when he had his prize test.

"It was so stable on the brakes and in the high-speed corners," he says. "It gives you confidence straight away."

That perhaps helps explain why Dennis starts pressing on pretty soon. He's certainly not afraid to use the kerbs. It's dry too, so the main limiting factors become the demo rubber and time.

"I felt that it wanted to kill me at first!" says Dennis when he finally steps from the cockpit. "It was so quick, unbelievable, an amazing feeling.

"It's such a dream to drive an F1 car, an F1 McLaren, in front of all my family at Silverstone."

As Sims suspected, the abilities of the F1 machinery are a revelation to a driver who has spent his season racing a Formula Renault with around a quarter of the McLaren's power.

"Once you get used to the speed you realise the faster you go the more grip there is," continues Dennis. "I felt confident in the car and wanted to do more laps."

Lall, who runs the Awards F1 tests and has seen many talented drivers over the years, is also impressed by the man behind the wheel.

Matt Parry will be the next Award winner to test the McLaren © LAT

"We wanted to be sure he was comfortable and were checking everything on his first lap," he says.

"All his input into brakes and steering were very smooth. We really didn't have to tell him much and he steadily got quicker and quicker.

"I think he's done a thoroughly good job. I'm not surprised - the good guys can do it."

Dennis leaves Silverstone with a little taster of what he hopes will be his motorsport future, while the next set of finalists were simply hoping they get the chance to follow in his footsteps.

JAKE DENNIS IN PROFILE

After a successful karting career, Dennis stepped into cars in 2011 and immediately won the InterSteps Championship with Fortec.

He continued that momentum into Formula Renault NEC the following year, securing the crown and booking his place as a McLaren AUTOSPORT BRDC Award finalist.

The Award won, the Racing Steps Foundation-backed driver stepped up to the highly competitive Formula Renault Eurocup for 2013. It was a tricky season, which included a clash with fellow RSF driver and Award winner Oliver Rowland, but Dennis still finished as the best rookie with fourth.

"We struggled a little bit at the start of the season but we got there in the end," he says.

His 2014 programme has yet to be confirmed but a move into the Formula 3 European Championship looks likely.