Rennie Scaysbrook | December 12, 2019
Current Formula One World Champion Lewis Hamilton and seven-time MotoGP World Champion Valentino Rossi recently swapped rides at the Ricardo Tormo Circuit in Valencia, Spain.
The event was organized by the pair’s mutual sponsor, Monster Energy. Hamilton, an avid and rather fast bike rider in his own right, spent the day riding Rossi’s Monster Energy YZF-M1 after some exploration laps on a YZF-R1M street bike, with Rossi spending the day in Hamilton’s 2017 Mercedes AMG F1 W08 EQ Power+, the same machine Hamilton used to secure that year’s world title.
“It’s so awesome to see a legend like Valentino in the car,” Hamilton said. “I’m excited for him, for discovering the car for the first time. Reminds me of my first time in a F1 car. When you see all the team around you, it’s just a different animal.”
Rossi was equally enthused about his time in the Mercedes, which was his first taste of the turbo Formula One ear after previously testing for Ferrari on multiple occasions during 2006.
“I was a big fan of Lewis’ before but now I am even more,” Rossi said. “We had a fantastic day where the two top classes of motorsports not only met but worked together. I felt like a real F1 driver for a day. I didn’t want the day to end.
“I have tried an F1 car before, but much has changed since then,” said Rossi. “Sincerely, I was impressed with the car and its handling, as well as with the Mercedes-AMG Petronas Motorsport team, who were great to work with. They were very welcoming and made it easy for me to get familiar with the car.
“I also rode the YZR-M1 on track with Lewis. It was a proud moment for the team to share our passion with him. Technically, Valencia is a hard track and today was windy so at one point I thought it would be difficult for Lewis to continue, but he was brilliant on the bike and his position on the M1 was great. I think he had loads of fun which is the main thing.”