F1, MotoGP: Lewis Hamilton and Valentino Rossi Complete Machine Swap

December 11, 2019

For the last few months, the build-up for the historic machine swap between nine-time world champion Valentino Rossi and six-time Formula 1 champion Lewis Hamilton has been growing and growing, that was up until the day of the swap when things went quiet.

On Monday 9th December Valentino Rossi and Lewis Hamilton took to the Circuit Ricardo Tormo in Valencia to try out each other’s machines.

Seven-time premier-class champion Rossi would drive Hamilton’s 2017 Championship winning W08 whilst Lewis would get to try the 2019 Yamaha YZR-M1.

In the event organised by Monster Energy, Rossi and Hamilton both got to complete a number of laps in each other’s machines, before Rossi showed the Brit around as they both took to the circuit onboard the Yamaha.

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Hamilton is no stranger to motorcycles, admitting his love for two-wheeled racing, the F1 champion recently took part in a track day at Jerez with PATA Yamaha World Superbike riders Alex Lowes and Michael Van der Mark, before launching his own MV Agusta LH44.

The pair both coached one another throughout the day, giving tips on how to get the best out of the machine, which for Lewis Hamilton, it would be a tough task of getting used to not only the horsepower a Prototype MotoGP bike has but also the Carbon brakes and the severe Electronic aid.

“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. Reminds me of my first time in a F1 car. When you see all the team around you, it’s just a different animal.” – Lewis Hamilton.

The Doctor also commented on the 2017 Formula One car.

“Trying the W08 was a spectacular opportunity for me. I have tried an F1 car before, but much has changed since then. 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.” – Valentino Rossi.

Valentino Rossi is also no stranger to driving a Formula One car after the Italian got to try out the Ferrari F2008 at Catalunya.

The pair rounded out their day onboard the Yamaha YZR-M1, with Valentino Rossi leading Hamilton around the Circuit Ricardo Tormo.

“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 it was windy, so at one point I thought it could be difficult for Lewis, but he was brilliant on the bike and his position on the M1 was great. I really enjoyed sharing this experience with him, and I think he had loads of fun too, demonstrated by how reluctant he was to stop riding! I sincerely hope we will get to have many more experiences like this in the future,” – Rossi

Rossi now heads to Abu Dhabi where he will be joined by half brother Luca Marini and close friend Alessio Salucci to compete in the Gulf 12hr for Kessel Racing.