Rovanpera completes first F1 test in a Red Bull car

WRC champion Kalle Rovanpera had his first run in a Red Bull F1 car at Red Bull Ring, after undertaking sim sessions and a drive in F4/F3.5 machinery.

In a surprise scene, WRC champion Rovanpera got to drive the Red Bull RB8 at the Red Bull Ring circuit last week after an extensive pre-event preparation. He held simulator sessions at Milton Keynes, while drove F4 and Formula Renault 3.5 cars at the track before getting a taste of the big piece of machinery.

As per Motorsport Network, he completed about 50 laps. “It was a great day, I got to drive three different formula cars,” he said. “I got quite a few laps in and, of course, the F1 was something I had been looking forward to for a long time, so it was really cool to finally get to drive it. The day went well, and I was left with very good feelings.

“The biggest differences between rally and F1 are obviously that a rally car moves a lot more from the body – F1 is a bit like a karting car, it doesn’t move much from its suspension, but it has an incredible amount of grip – and of course, F1 has a huge amount of downforce, which allows you to drive much faster in corners. It’s also physically quite different.

“There’s a lot more lateral G-force, the car stops much more and turns more – it feels very different to the driver, there are a lot more G-forces and the car has an incredible amount of grip. “Indeed, the first time you sit in there, it feels quite different than in a rally car – you also sit in such a different position that it feels quite different – but it was really cool to get to feel it today.”

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