Deagen Fairclough made his F1 debut last week when he drove an Aston Martin at Silverstone for the first time.

The 19-year-old British racing driver completed 26 laps of Silverstone's Grand Prix circuit behind the wheel of the AMR23 - the team's 2023 car - as part of his prize for securing the Young Driver award last December.

Ahead of the prize test, Fairclough completed a seat fit and sim session at the Aston Martin Racing Technology Campus just across the road from the track. On the day, he completed six runs, experiencing a range of tyres, as he familiarised himself with the team and car.

"I'm extremely lucky to have the opportunity," he said, "it's a dream come true driving a car that achieved F1 podiums just a couple of years ago. I can't put it into words: the trust and capabilities these cars have at high speed is ridiculous.

"I cannot thank the team enough," he added, "it was eye-opening from the beginning, seeing the amount of effort that goes into the two cars at the campus, to everyone involved on the day of the track run.

"I went out there and gave it my all. I wanted to learn what I could and maximise what I got out of it. I was able to go out and perform straightaway because of the experience of the people around me.

"I always dreamt of driving a Formula One car since I was four years old, driving it was another level, the sensation of it has really given me the motivation to get to the pinnacle of motorsport."

"Deagen handled his time on track especially well in windy and cold conditions," said Gerry Hughes, Chief Engineer. "He was very confident in high-speed areas, it's impressive for someone who has not spent any time in a Formula One car.

"We focused on helping him optimise his lap time with low-speed technique, something we continued from his time in the sim at the AMRTC.

"He's had some great experience in a Formula One car and now has some miles under him; he can now build on this in his future career and carry that experience and learning onwards."