Photo: Monster Energy
Valentino Rossi returned to the seat of a Formula 1 car for the first time in almost 10 years, as he took the 2017 championship-winning car Mercedes-AMG F1 W08 to the Ricardo Tormo Circuit in Valencia for a PR event together with Lewis Hamilton.
Lewis Hamilton also had a lot of fun on the racetrack during his Formula 1 winter break, as the six-time F1 world champion ventured onto the 2019 Monster Energy Yamaha YZR-M1 motorcycle that The Doctor piloted only a couple of weeks before, swapping his 2017 “company car” for it.
The sight of Hamilton on a fast motorcycle is not something uncommon for the British F1 driver, as his love for them is well known. On the other hand, the last time Rossi tested an F1 car was back in 2010 with Ferrari, the direct competitor and runner-up to the W08 that he tested this December. Though it is worth mentioning that at that time, Mercedes was not that competitive as it was the first F1 season in more than 50 years.
“It’s so awesome to see a legend like Valentino in the car. I’m excited for him, for discovering the car for the first time. It reminds me of my first time in an F1 car. When you see all the team around you, it’s just a different animal.” Said Hamilton after the event.
While Rossi stated: “I was a big fan of Lewis’ before but now I am even more. 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”.
The Mercedes was badged with the number 46, Rossi’s race number, while Hamilton also had his signature “44” on the motorcycle. Both drivers exchanged insight and watched each other have a run, before putting both prototypes on track at the same time. Monster Energy thought that wasn’t enough, so The Doctor switched from the W08 to his YZR-M1 to race Hamilton on equal terms for a couple of laps.
Hamilton was excited about the whole deal, saying: “It was so cool to be out on track and see Valentino ahead of me on the same bike”.
Rossi also enjoyed the time shared on track with Lewis, stating: “I also rode the YZR-M1 on track with Lewis. It was a proud moment for the team to share our passion with him”.
No lap times have been released by Monster Energy, but at least we have this amazing photo session with these two legends on the same track.
The sight of Hamilton on a fast motorcycle is not something uncommon for the British F1 driver, as his love for them is well known. On the other hand, the last time Rossi tested an F1 car was back in 2010 with Ferrari, the direct competitor and runner-up to the W08 that he tested this December. Though it is worth mentioning that at that time, Mercedes was not that competitive as it was the first F1 season in more than 50 years.
“It’s so awesome to see a legend like Valentino in the car. I’m excited for him, for discovering the car for the first time. It reminds me of my first time in an F1 car. When you see all the team around you, it’s just a different animal.” Said Hamilton after the event.
While Rossi stated: “I was a big fan of Lewis’ before but now I am even more. 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”.
The Mercedes was badged with the number 46, Rossi’s race number, while Hamilton also had his signature “44” on the motorcycle. Both drivers exchanged insight and watched each other have a run, before putting both prototypes on track at the same time. Monster Energy thought that wasn’t enough, so The Doctor switched from the W08 to his YZR-M1 to race Hamilton on equal terms for a couple of laps.
Hamilton was excited about the whole deal, saying: “It was so cool to be out on track and see Valentino ahead of me on the same bike”.
Rossi also enjoyed the time shared on track with Lewis, stating: “I also rode the YZR-M1 on track with Lewis. It was a proud moment for the team to share our passion with him”.
No lap times have been released by Monster Energy, but at least we have this amazing photo session with these two legends on the same track.
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