Silverstone Autosport BRDC Young Driver of the Year Award winner Deagen Fairclough drove a Formula 1 car for the first time last week as part of his prize.
Fairclough, who won the 2024 British F4 title, beat Arvid Lindblad, Freddie Slater and Louis Foster to the Award, and scooped £200,000, as well as the F1 test with the Aston Martin Aramco Cognizant F1 Team.
The 19-year-old, who also won full British Racing Drivers’ Club membership, an Arai helmet and Jordan Bespoke helmet bag as his prize, drove an ex-Fernando Alonso Aston Martin AMR23 on Silverstone’s Grand Prix circuit. He completed 26 laps across six runs on hard and soft-compound tyres, setting competitive times compared to those seen at the 2023 British GP.
“I’m extremely lucky to have the opportunity: it’s a dream come true driving a car that achieved F1 podiums just a couple of years ago,” said Fairclough, who currently lies fourth in GB3 with two meetings to go. “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; 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 straight away because of the experience of the people around me.
Deagen Fairclough, Silverstone Autosport BRDC Young Driver of the Year Award winner, Aston Martin F1
Photo by: JEP / Motorsport Images
“I’ve dreamt of sitting and driving an F1 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.”
Gerry Hughes, Aston Chief Engineer F1 Evolution who oversaw the test, said: “Deagen handled his time on track especially well in such windy and cold conditions. He was very confident in high-speed areas, it’s impressive for someone who has not spent much time in a Formula 1 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 Aston Martin Racing Technology Campus.”
Fairclough is the 35th winner of the Award, which aims to find and assist the best up-and-coming British single-seater racing talent. It will not take place in 2025, ahead of a re-evaluation of the Award.
Other winners of the Award, which began in 1989, include 2009 F1 world champion Jenson Button, 13-time grand prix winner David Coulthard, triple Indianapolis 500 winner Dario Franchitti, 2014 World Endurance champion Anthony Davidson, 2022-23 Formula E title winner Jake Dennis, 2024-25 Formula E champion Oliver Rowland, and F1 stars Lando Norris and George Russell.
Deagen Fairclough, Silverstone Autosport BRDC Young Driver of the Year Award winner, Aston Martin F1
Photo by: JEP / Motorsport Images
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