A year on from Lewis Hamilton and Valentino famously swapping seats at the Circuit Ricardo Tormo, Valencia and this insightful and interesting footage has just been released.
The seat swap may have been a shrewd and well-orchestrated between the two mega-stars biggest sponsor, Monster Energy, but there is much more to this than just an energy drink raising its profile.
Both Hamilton and Rossi are massive petrol heads, loving pretty much anything that features spinning wheels and an engine.
Rossi is of course famous for testing, and allegedly almost coming close to signing, for the Ferrari F1 team back in the 1990s. He is also a regular winner and podium-placed finisher in Tarmac and dirt rally events.
Hamilton too is no stranger to sampling the delights of two-wheeled exotica, being a long-time supporter and ambassador of the Italian marque MV Agusta. He’s also no stranger to riding on a track, having sampled a GYTR-spec Yamaha R1M track bike on more than one occasion. Even gaining some track tuition from Michael van der Mark and Sam Lowes.
Lewis Hamilton Valentino Rossi behind the scenes
Passions aside, the video released recently is a much more in-depth look at the day the two stars spent together and features some insight from Franco Morbidelli who was also on hand to assist Hamilton as he acquainted himself with the circuit aboard an R1M in what looks like track-day trim.
It’s clear that while Hamilton’s talent on four wheels is hard to deny, he certainly found it more difficult adapting to the bikes than you may have thought, with body position in the corners seeming to be his biggest stumbling block.
After the ride, Hamilton summed it up saying:
“It's fantastic to see a legend like Valentino in the car. It reminded me of my first time in an F1 car. When you see the whole team around you, it's just a different "animal". As for my experience on the bike, it was great to be on the track with Valentino on the same bike.”
