A 16-YEAR-OLD has made motor sport history by becoming the youngest to drive a Formula One car in an official test.
Nabil Jeffri took part in a day of straight-line aero testing for Lotus Racing at the Imperial War Museum runway at Duxford.
For young Malaysian Jeffri, who does not turn 17 until October 24, it is the first step on the road to becoming an F1 driver.
Jeffri, who is a member of the AirAsia ASEAN (Association of South East Asia Nations) Driver Development programme, also took part in pitstop practice with the team.
Jeffri said: "I have had an incredible day, one of the best days of my life.
"I have to admit the first time I went out it was pretty scary.
"Everyone told me the acceleration would be unbelievable, and the braking would be so much greater than anything I've experienced, and it took a while to get used to that.
"But Heikki (Kovalainen) and (test driver) Fairuz (Fauzy) gave me some advice on how to settle into it, and after a while I was more comfortable, and was able to get through the day's plan.
"It's such an honour to have had this opportunity, and it'll be a long time before the excitement wears off.
"But I'll keep on working hard to one day join Heikki, Fairuz, Jarno (Trulli) and the rest of the F1 grid.
"With the support of people like (team owner) Tony (Fernandes) and Lotus Racing, I've a great chance of doing so."
Fernandes feels a taster of the high life will result in Jeffri working twice as hard over the coming months and years to become an F1 driver.
"When I first offered Nabil the chance to drive our car he couldn't tell if I was joking or not, but I was very serious about giving a young Malaysian the chance to step up to the big time," said Fernandes.
"He's repaid my faith in him and has performed incredibly well.
"That's a source of real pride for me as he proves what I've always believed - keep dreaming, work hard to achieve what other people tell you is impossible, and your dreams will come true.
"I suspect Nabil will head back to Malaysia with his head spinning from everything that's happened to him today.
"But now he can say he's driven an F1 car, and that will set his sights at the very top for the rest of his life."