McLaren Autosport BRDC Award: The secret finalist

What's it really like fighting it out for the chance to win a McLaren Formula 1 test and £100,000 to boot?

The McLaren Autosport BRDC Award is the most sought after prize in motorsport for British drivers. It's recognition of the highest order and allows you to join an illustrious list of names: Coulthard, Franchitti, Button, Davidson - they've all won it.

Our secret finalist shares the experience 2015 finalists Jack Aitken, Ben Barnicoat, Ricky Collard, Jake Hughes, Will Palmer and Toby Sowery went through this year.

FINDING OUT

It was only towards the end of the year I started thinking about it. Once it was in the magazine, for people to nominate drivers. I was in the airport, waiting to catch a flight to a Formula Renault race in Spain, and my phone rang. It was an unknown number but I answered it anyway.

'You're one of the six McLaren Autosport BRDC Award finalists, congratulations'.

It was incredible, it felt like a massive achievement just to be nominated. And then you realise it's only the beginning.

SIMULATOR

I guess from the outside it's easy to underestimate how much work goes in to evaluating us as finalists. Because of the way the season works it was quite a chaotic end to the year, coming back from Spain to the UK and having to fit in my day at Base Performance Simulators and then the Porsche Human Performance Centre before the two test days at Silverstone.

You 100 per cent feel like the competition has started when you walk into Base for the first time. I'm not sure why, but psychologically I felt if I was fast on the sim it would be noticed more than if I was fittest.

Process begins with simulator sessions before finalists can drive the real thing

I'd been to Porsche once before, about two years ago, but I'd never been to Base before. I hadn't had a great deal of experience in simulators; I'd learned a bit here and there but nothing on anything as good as Base. It was good to get on one that was so close to real life.

We had two hours on the simulator and you pack a lot into that time: 51 laps round the Silverstone South circuit on Base's Formula 2 model. The first 10 laps you are just getting used to the sim and the car, and the rest is split into different lengths of run - 10 laps after a debrief, for example, and then a longer 20-lap stint.

You're being marked on outright speed but also consistency, because they jot down every error you make. I made four early on and then none for the next six or so runs, so I was quite pleased with that.

We also did a blind change, where Base made a change to the car and I went out and felt what they'd done and had to try to identify it. It was quite difficult because there are so many things you can do with the car that prompt the same feeling - you can go for more front wing to get more grip, for example, or less front ride height, which gives the exact same feeling. I think the feedback I gave was correct and the change I thought they'd made on the car would have given the feeling I felt.

Then there are two three-lap qualifying simulations, which makes things more competitive, and we also got eight laps on a 'fantasy track'. I spent a few minutes looking at the map and then it's straight into it, trying to learn it as quickly as possible and setting a fast time.

FITNESS TEST

Each training company has its own way of training. Some think loads of running is the way to improve cardio fitness and some say cycling. You've got to do press- ups with one and pull-ups with another.

Certain drivers train at Porsche and they do what Porsche tells them to do, whereas other drivers training with other companies may have completely the opposite thinking.

Finalists fill a rare bit of downtime chatting to judge and BRDC president Derek Warwick

The Porsche test is difficult: Eliot Chalifour pushes you hard. The gold standard is high and I don't think a finalist has ever reached that on every test. I guess because finalists are getting younger it gets harder, but that gets taken into consideration. If I was 19 and going up against Lando Norris, I'd expect to be fitter!

It's like Mo Farah in a 100m race against Usain Bolt: he's a very good runner but he'll do rubbish. And if you put Usain Bolt in a 1500m he'll be crap! Well, not crap, but you get my point. The Porsche test is their motorsport gold standard, and gives a good guide for comparison. But if you're fit you're fit, and essentially the judges get a good idea of where we're at.

THE TEST DAYS

Down the road from Silverstone there's a very posh hotel. You get there and think you'll have a couple of days of luxury...then the judges take your phone! It was weird but quite nice - by the end we were all thinking, 'Do we really need them back?' It was strange though... we normally use them every day.

To be honest we were so busy we wouldn't have had much time to use the phone. It's flat out; you don't even get time to go to the toilet! You're jumping in and out of the F2 car, the McLaren GT car, the Mercedes DTM... it's debrief, drive, prepare for the next run, drive, debrief. Rinse and repeat.

There's no prep time in any of them really beyond seat fittings. And in the F2 part, even the engineers and cars are chosen for us. The only bit we can influence is what we do on track and how we engage with our engineers.

Looking back on it now, my approach to jumping in different cars was a bit strange. I just sort of jumped in and drove. I didn't think, 'I'm in the DTM now' or, 'This is the GT', I just found the limit every time. You get so little time in each car you kind of have to adjust quickly. So the racing instincts just sort of took over.

I knew I had a bit of time but in the DTM I took a bit of a risk: I went in thinking I'd take it easy on the first run and find where the limit is, but not put it on the limit until I had new tyres. I wasted five of my 10 laps taking it easy! I said to myself I knew what I needed to do and went about two seconds quicker. I just wanted to get the new-tyre run spot-on and not go over the limit. It was the same in the GT car - I put the new tyres on and was really fast.

Jumping between different cars like McLaren GT requires 'strange' approach

That first day is manic, although you get a cool break to go and watch the previous year's winner have their McLaren F1 test. That is just incredible, you think, 'My God, they are actually going to let one of us loose in one of those!'

Obviously you're jacked up to 11 in terms of how much you want to win already, but seeing them pull out of the garage for the first time in Jenson Button's 2011 Canadian Grand Prix-winning MP4-26 makes you even more desperate.

The test itself is odd. There's no timing and no data sharing. It's unlike anything I've ever done before or since - even on random test days on the Le Mans Bugatti circuit someone has live timing. You've no reference for how well you're going, although the times are on the dash so you sneak a look.

Watching on, commenting the odd 'that was good', are judges Derek Warwick and Jason Plato. Nice guys. I actually walked in front of all the F2 cars at the end of day one and looked at the front wing angles to see who had more and who had less - you can find ways to be a bit sneaky!

None of us drivers had a real personal rivalry and we were all quite friendly to each other, so I guess that was a bit strange. Because there is no timing you kind of want to know for yourself where you are, so you rely on everyone being a little open and honest. If there's any bullshit going on you've kind of screwed yourself - it wouldn't benefit anyone if a couple of people were lying and all the references were out.

But to be honest I just enjoyed driving my bollocks off and having no idea how fast or slow I was. The main thing was getting the most out of the data and video and getting on with it. I pretty much just judged it on how happy I was.

I was really chilled out, when I was going there it was not like, 'Bloody hell this is the Award shootout'. I saw it as a test - I didn't put myself under extra pressure. I think it was because I was so busy leading up to it I didn't have time to think and worry. I went in with no pressure or nerves and did my thing.

That meant I was quite confident leaving the track. I know when I'm driving well and when I'm driving well I'm as fast as anyone. And it's not judged on one lap - you don't get to the end and it's do-or-die. So the final run didn't phase me at all, knowing they take into account all the sessions.

THE FINAL STAGES

McLaren's HQ is a seriously impressive place. It creeps up out of nowhere as you get closer to Woking off the M25 and then hits you in the face like a ton of bricks. Once you've navigated security and squeezed into a rare car-park space, you descend a spiral staircase and have to walk along an almost entirely white corridor that feels a mile long. It's disorientating to say the least - if it wasn't for the green fire-exit signs it would be a proper headache.

Plato (right) and other judges have plenty of information with which to assess the finalists

The lift up takes you to the boulevard, which is hands down without doubt the most spectacular thing you'll ever see getting out of an elevator. If it has won McLaren a world title, it's on display - and that's seriously cool. Plus, you can see engineers working on the test cars in the bays off the boulevard.

The MP4/13's one of them, easily my favourite McLaren-Mercedes. Watching Mika Hakkinen win in 1998 is one of my first memories, even though I was only a couple of years old at the time.

I'd been to McLaren a few times before, so I knew what to expect. Every time I go though, it continues to amaze me. It's an incredible place.

The other reason you're there is nervewracking to say the least. For a teenager it's quite unnatural: I'm shown into a room and all the judges are there waiting for me. I shake their hands and take a seat at the head of the table, waiting for the interrogation to begin - what was the feel of the F2 car? Did I struggle with the weight of the GT? What would I do differently in the DTM? I'm ready for it all...

"Why did you want to be a racing driver?"

I have to admit I wasn't expecting that. I was so nervous at the start but it ended up being quite chilled out. Derek and Jason are quite easy to get along with. When you're younger it's like, 'Jesus, they are really famous', but when you're there you realise they're just normal people!

At the end I shook everyone's hands and Derek said, 'Well done, you should be proud of yourself'. And then you've got three weeks to kill until the Autosport Awards.

The wait's not the best feeling in the world. But the worst part is on the night. You kind of get on with other things before then, and I was quite confident so I was quite chilled out. When we got to the night that was really tense. I was dying for it to be over with.

But when your name gets called out, there's nothing like it...