Rossi To Test a Ferrari F2008 in Barcelona

Thought it may appear to be a deja-vu, current MotoGP World Champion Valentino Rossi will take a Ferrari to the track again later this month, Ferrari confirmed today. The Italian earned this by clinching the ninth MotoGP title the last season. He will reportedly get behind the wheel o a F2008 in Barcelona, on January 20 and 21.

Rossi also had several tests with the Pracing Horse team in 2006 and 2008. Current test restrictions, however, do not allow him to use the latest car.

"Chairman Montezemolo had promised it to him after he won the World Championship again,” Domenicali said during the news conference in Madonna di Campiglio.

"Valentino will drive in Barcelona on 20 and 21 January behind the wheel of a F2008. After that we’ll concentrate on our respective goals: Moto GP for Vale and Formula 1 for Ferrari. If I’m his fan? Our relationship regarding esteem and friendship says it all,” concluded the Scuderia Ferrari Marlboro Team Principal.

Domenicali is still open to a possible future for Valentino behind the wheel of a third Ferrari in Formula 1. "Never say never,” he said. “There has been discussed a lot about a third car and this could be a hypothesis of an interesting improvement for the whole world of Formula 1, even more if as a result Rossi had the possibility to race in our sport."

“This is not true only for Ferrari, but also for the other teams: when we’re talking about a third car we don’t necessarily mean that it has to be three cars in our team, but we might also give our single-seater to be run by a small team,” added Domenicali.