George Russell had his first taste of a Formula One car when he tested a former Jenson Button race winning McLaren MP4-26 at Silverstone.

Eastern Daily Press: George Russell had his first taste of a Formula One car when he tested a McLaren MP4-26 at Silverstone.George Russell had his first taste of a Formula One car when he tested a McLaren MP4-26 at Silverstone. (Image: Archant)

'It was an absolute honour to get my first ever test in Formula One, with McLaren – one of, if not the, most prestigious teams on the grid,' he said. 'F1 has always been what I've dreamed of and to get the chance to have a taste of an F1 car so early in my career was incredible.'

The Norfolk racer completed three runs consisting of four or five flying laps in the 2011 Canadian Grand Prix winning car as part of his prize for winning the McLaren Autosport BRDC Young Driver of the Year Award at the end of last year.

Having recently tested a Formula Renault 3.5 single seater, which he found heavy to turn, Russell was surprised at how easy the inputs were with the Grand Prix McLaren.

'This was light, like playing a racing game,' he said. 'It's precise, you can do what you want with it. The blown diffuser was also impressive. Just get on the throttle and it really plants the rear.

'The speed, grip and brakes on the car were extremely impressive, but I was really happy with myself how quickly I managed to get used to it and really start to push on and get the car on the limit. It was an unbelievable feeling.'