Former McLaren F1 team-mates Hakkinen and Coulthard joined Rovanpera’s Toyota team for a pre-event test in Sardinia.
At the test, Hakkinen and Coulthard both climbed aboard the current WRC specification Toyota GR Yaris alongside Rovanpera for a blast through Sardinia’s rough gravel roads in a special feature for sponsor Unibet.
The 22-year-old admitted he enjoyed frightening the ex-F1 drivers with his skills behind the wheel.
«Yeah it was super cool. Together with Unibet we had this project and they were let’s say quite scared and excited to be in the car,» Rovanpera told Motorsport.com.
“It is quite different for circuit drivers to be in rally car but that was their honest reaction, so it was funny for me and we have some more stuff to do with them that is coming which is cool also.”
Both Hakkinen and Coulthard were left visibly stunned by the experience.
“That was an unbelievable experience. I’m not sure I would call it fun but it was like an out of reality experience with consequence,” said Coulthard.
“It was just the commitment in the high-speed corners.”
Kalle Rovanperä, Toyota Gazoo Racing WRT
Photo by: Toyota Racing
Hakkinen added “I had the feeling like I was jumping out of aeroplane without a parachute. You are going down and you can see the earth and you have nothing to stop you.»
Rovanpera believes rally drivers and co-drivers often don’t receive the credit for their skills from the wider motor racing community, so was glad to showcase rallying.
“It is really nice to hear praise about rally drivers from other racing drivers,” Rovanpera added.
“It is maybe not talked about much but when you speak with them and hear them say, that is cool.”
Rovanpera says that he will undertake another challenge with Hakkinen and Coulthard in the near future.
When asked if that meant he would climb in the cockpit of a single seater, he added: “You will have to see what will happen.”
You can watch the outing here