Kevin Magnussen topped the timesheets on the first day of the Young Driver Test at Silverstone as twelve drivers representing ten teams took to the track.

With Mercedes excluded from the test due to its controversial session with Pirelli at Barcelona, its ten rivals got their programmes underway.

Having been made aware of the fact that full race drivers are only allowed one day of testing, and are not allowed to test anything other than tyres, Red Bull have dropped Mark Webber from its schedule while Lotus has given Kimi Raikkonen an extended holiday.

Lotus, keen to let Mercedes know how much it was missing its German rivals, sported the Twitter hashtag #wheresroscoe on its car, a joke that will not have escaped Lewis Hamilton.

On the twelve drivers on duty, only two - Paul di Resta and Max Chilton - are actually competing in the 2013 championship, while a number of others were enjoying their F1 debut.

As well as being an opportunity to try new drivers and the new tyres that will be used for the remainder of the season, this is a test where teams can run updates consequently the range of sensors became increasingly complicated.

It was Magnussen's second outing behind the wheel of a McLaren, having taken part in last November's Young Driver Test at the Yas Marina circuit in Abu Dhabi.

The Woking outfit spent the morning conducting investigative work into aerodynamic car changes and evaluating Pirelli's rubber, with the 20-year-old completing a number of longer stints.

In the afternoon, the Dane undertook more long runs, continuing the team's focus on aero and tyre evaluation. He also took the opportunity to acclimatise himself to the MP4-28's cockpit controls.

"This is the first time I'd driven at Silverstone in a Formula 1 car, and it was a fantastic experience," said Magnussen. "We covered a lot of mileage - almost two race distances - and, given there isn't a great deal of testing these days, that opportunity was invaluable.

"The process of providing feedback to the engineers about the car, and testing new set-ups can only make me a stronger driver. I have to thank Vodafone McLaren Mercedes for giving me this opportunity, and I'm going to apply everything I've learned today.

"Getting a taste in the car only makes me more hungry to one day realise my ambition of racing in the highest level of motorsport. Without a doubt I learnt a great deal today."