Both Lewis Hamilton and Valentino Rossi admit a greater respect for each other following their Formula 1/MotoGP swap this week.
Earlier this year, the Briton teased his wish to test himself against the best on two wheels, resulting in the event with the nine-time world champion at Valencia.
Soon footage from the historic event emerged with the pair sharing the track as well as conducting individual runs and Hamilton admits he was in awe of the Italian driving his 2017 Mercedes.
“It’s so awesome to see a legend like Valentino in the car,” he commented. “I’m excited for him, 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.”
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While there was only one Silver Arrow on hand, two Yamaha M1’s were brought to the Spanish track, allowing the two motorsport legends to ride together.
“It was so cool to be out on track and see Valentino ahead of me on the same bike,” Lewis added.
Given Rossi’s past experience in an F1 car, it was clear that Hamilton’s first go on a MotoGP machine would be the bigger challenge but the ‘Doctor’ was impressed by how he performed.
“I was a big fan of Lewis’ before but now I am even more,” said the Italian. “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. I also rode the 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 today was windy so, at one point, I thought it would be difficult for Lewis to continue, but he was brilliant on the bike and his position on the M1 was great. I think he had loads of fun, which is the main thing.”
