What driving a Formula 1 was like for a WRC champion

Switching between two very different worlds, from the sheer skidding and dust of rallies to the precision of the racing line at the confines of a track, was an experience that had previously thrilled two other WRC legends.

Colin McRae had driven a Jordan F1 car in 1996 at Silverstone in a car swap event with then English F1 team driver Martin Brundle – who in turn drove McRae’s Subaru Impreza WRC.

In 2007, Lebb drove a Renault F1 show car at Circuit Paul Ricard, before taking part in a Red Bull test in the winter of 2008 in Barcelona. There he set the eighth fastest time in the Red Bull RB4.

Now, it’s the turn of the WRC champion of the last two years, Kale Rovanpera, to gain that experience. The Finn was in the cockpit of the Red Bull RB8 and drove it to the Red Bull Ring in Austria.

“We did the seat adjustment on the car to check everything was in place in the cockpit for the test and then we had a morning session in the simulator, testing different cars in the smaller classes before we got to the bigger ones. I was able to familiarize myself with the track and the details” Rovanpera said, referring to his visit to RBR’s factory in Milton Keynes earlier this year.

So last week Rovanpera took to the track at the Austrian Grand Prix, where he made his car debut – initially driving Formula 4 and Formula Renault 3.5 cars, before switching to Red Bull’s older-generation F1 car.

Before entering the cockpit he said how “I’m still a racing driver, so I want to show my potential and try to do well.” He then drove the Red Bull RB8 for around 50 laps at the circuit where earlier this year he raced in the Porsche Carrera Cup Benelux series.

And speaking about this experience, he stated: “It was a great day, I drove three different cars. I did several laps and, of course, driving tor F1 has been something I’ve been looking forward to for a long time, so it was really awesome to finally experience it. The day went well and I was left with very good impressions.

The biggest differences between of rally and her F1 is obviously that the rallycar moves much more ‘than the body’ of – F1 is kind of like a kart, or postor she doesn’t have long routesbut it has incredible grip. Kand of course, F1 produces huge buoyancy (vertical force)which allows you to drive much faster in corners.

They are much stronger lateral G forces, the car stops louder and turns more sharply – for the driver the feeling is very different, there are much more G-forces and the car has incredible grip.

Indeed, the first time you sit there, it feels very different than in a rally car. Kyou are also in such a different position that the feeling is other – but it really was a awesomeor the feeling I got today”, added the Finn.

We remind you that this year Kale Rovanpera took a break from the WRC, participating in only a few and selected rallies in order to rest from 14 years of uninterrupted championship.

So, unburdened by the stress of distinction, during 2024 he broadened his motorsport horizons by taking part in circuit racing – before returning to full World Rally Championship duties with Toyota in the 2025 season.

In particular, the two-time WRC champion competed in the Porsche Carrera Cup Benelux series, where he won three races, as well as a round of the Italian Carrera Cup series at Monza last month.

The 24-year-old is also a regular in the world of drifting, with demonstrations around the world, and has revealed his ambition to one day compete in the 24 Hours of Le Mans, etc. as part of the World Endurance Championship (WEC).