Two-time WRC champion Kalle Rovanperä has completed a test in the Red Bull RB8. The rally champion was allowed to drive fifty laps in the old Red Bull car at the Red Bull Ring in Austria, as part of his debut in a single-seater.
Finnish Rovanperä already has fifteen WRC victories and two World Championship titles to his name, but is still a newcomer in the world of single-seaters. Rovanperä decided to give up part of his World Rally Championship season this year in order to test for circuit racing. The Finn was allowed to take the wheel of not only the Red Bull car, but also a Formula 4 and a Formula Renault 3.5 car.
“It was a great day, I got to drive in three different formula cars. I was able to drive quite a few laps and of course I had been looking forward to the F1 for a long time, so it was really cool to finally drive in it,” Rovanperä tells Motorsport.com about his test day. “The day went well and I had a very good feeling about it.
Adjusting to Formula 1
Despite his multiple titles in rally racing, adjusting to a Formula 1 car was a new experience for Rovanperä. “The biggest differences between rally and F1 are of course that a rally car moves much more from the body,” explains the world champion. “F1 is a bit like a kart, it doesn’t move much from the 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 through the corners. It’s also physically very different.”
This is not the first time a WRC driver has been allowed to test in a Formula 1 car. In 1996, champion Colin McRae drove a Jordan Formula 1 car, while Sebastien Loeb was allowed to sit in a Renault in 2007, and in the Red Bull RB4 in 2008.
