McLaren has found itself in an awkward position after young British driver Dan Ticktum, a member of Red Bull's driver programme, won a coveted award that was supposed to come with a 2018 simulator role with the Woking team.
Ticktum won the prestigious McLaren Autosport British Drivers' Racing Club (BRDC) award for this year. Previous winners include David Coulthard, 2009 world champion Jenson Button and multiple Indy 500 winner and IndyCar champion Dario Franchitti. Last year's recipient Lando Norris is now reserve driver for McLaren.
The prize was supposed to include a test of McLaren's 2013 F1 car and a simulator role for next year.