This week two times World Rally Champion Carlos Sainz took time off from preparing for the upcoming Dakar rally to test a F1 Renault R25.

Sainz was left highly impressed by the car’s capabilities.

“The acceleration, the braking, the grip, everything is amazing in this car. In Formula One, you need to be a top athlete because the whole body is under duress. It is a unique experience, almost impossible to describe, and unlike anything I have felt before. I have been in a fighter plane, I have ridden a 500cc GP bike, but this is something else again. Renault has given me one of the best experiences of my life.”

Also lined up for a run in a modern F1 car is Alex Zanadri, who has not driven an F1 car since his disasterous 1999 season with Williams. Following his 2001 Champ Car crash which cost him both his legs Zanardi has been racing modified BMWs in the World Touring Car Championship. Thanks to that connection he will get to test a modified BMW-Sauber F1 car at the end of November. The car will feature a special brake pedal, which has been moved to the right side of the cockpit. To accelerate the car, Zanardi will use the shifting paddle on the left rear side of the steering wheel.

This entry was posted on Tuesday, October 31st, 2006 at 3:53 pm and is filed under Drivers, Formula One, Rally. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.