Four-time WRC champion Sebastien Ogier has completed his first ever drive in F1 machinery in a private test with Red Bull at the teams home circuit.
The Frenchman who has wanted to drive an F1 car for years has finally been given the opportunity by his current rally team ‘M-Sport’ being sponsored by Red Bull.
“One dream came true for me today,” he said after driving 60 miles around the Red Bull Ring in the 2011 RB7 car.
“It was awesome and, of course, a big discovery. It was so different to what I have ever driven before. It was so much fun and actually this car is super quick but also you feel quickly very comfortable in it.
“As a kid I was watching [Ayrton] Senna, he was my idol, and of course I was dreaming one day to try this kind of car.
“For a racing driver to have fun you need to be fast and a Formula 1 car is the fastest car you can drive, so of course every racing driver wants to feel that one day.”
He was guided by former Red Bull driver David Coulthard and did start with traction control gradually reducing it to end the day unassisted.
“I turned it down gradually,” he said, “then removed it completely to finish without any.
“It was interesting to feel how nervous the car felt without any traction control and how smooth and gentle you have to be with the throttle. It was good fun!”
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