Valentino Rossi is a legend on two wheels with seven MotoGP riders’ championships but is also dab hand behind a steering wheel and even tested a Ferrari Formula 1 car.
The Italian dominated the two-wheeled racing scene during the 2000s, and continued to be a leading figure in MotoGP until Rossi retired in 2021. During his career in the premier class, the 45-year-old even achieved an all-time premier class record tally of 89 Grand Prix wins.
Taking 199 podium finishes and 55 pole positions also saw Rossi emerge as a hero for many Formula 1 drivers, including McLaren star Lando Norris and Williams racer Alex Albon. Lewis Hamilton is even a big admirer of Rossi, and traded his Mercedes to ride his Yamaha in 2019.
Valentino Rossi felt ‘paranoid’ meeting Michael Schumacher while testing a Ferrari Formula 1 car
Rossi’s outing in Mercedes’ 2017 F1 car at the Circuit Ricardo Tormo, whilst Hamilton rode a 2019-spec Yamaha YZR-M1 in Valencia, was not his first time driving a Formula 1 car. Ferrari also gifted Rossi an outing in an F1 car back in 2006, also in Valencia, with a modified F2004.
The Scuderia saw Rossi do 18 laps in the morning yet he was some six seconds slower than what the car was capable of. But a further 20 laps in the afternoon saw Rossi get within a second of Michael Schumacher. Rossi had a less-powerful V10 engine to Schumacher’s V8.
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But having backed Jacques Villeneuve during the Canadian’s rivalry with Schumacher, which piqued with the former winning their 1997 F1 title fight, Rossi admits he was ‘a bit paranoid’ meeting the German. Yet Schumacher surprised Rossi with how receptive he proved to be.
“I have a wonderful memory of Schumi,” Rossi told Corriere Della Sera. “It was known that years before I had bet on Jacques Villeneuve, therefore against him.
“So, when we found ourselves in the garage, I was a bit paranoid. Now, he looks at me and thinks, ‘Here he is – the idiot!’ Instead, he was very kind. He gave me a lot of advice. A real cool guy.”
Could Valentino Rossi have left MotoGP and raced in Formula 1?
Rossi tested for Ferrari at Valencia in 2006 on the back of dominating MotoGP with titles in 2001, 2002, 2003, 2004 and 2005. He would even wrap up further titles in 2008 and 2009. Yet, if he wanted to, Rossi could have raced in Formula 1 instead of MotoGP after the test.
While his lap times were inconsistent driving a modified F2004, in which Schumacher had dominated F1 in 2004 with 13 wins in 18 rounds, Rossi impressed former Ferrari president Luca Di Montezemolo. The Scuderia chief was convinced that Rossi could have raced in F1.
But given Rossi was at the top of the tree in MotoGP, he decided to continue racing on two wheels rather than switch to four and possibly not be the top dog in Formula 1. But Rossi is now showing what the Italian is capable of on four wheels in the world of endurance racing.
