“He Could Be a Great F1 Driver”: When MotoGP Legend Valentino Rossi Got Ferrari President’s Approval

How good was Valentino Rossi? At the peak of his powers in Moto GP, the rider who called himself the ‘doctor’, was close to unbeatable. With seven MotoGP titles to his name, Rossi became one of motorsport’s biggest names, and there was a time when he wanted to expand his horizons and get into four-wheeler racing. More specifically, F1.

Rossi, time and again, reiterated his love for F1. Most recently in 2019, he exchanged vehicles with seven-time F1 champion Lewis Hamilton, and drove his Mercedes around the track for a promotional event. But at the turn of the century, when Rossi was at his best, he appeared for proper tests with Ferrari.

At Fiorano in 2004, Rossi put up a lap time of 59.2 seconds, which was only 1.5 seconds slower than Michael Schumacher‘s lap time, per Formel1.de. Not bad, considering the German was one of the all-time greats at the pinnacle of motorsport. Although that didn’t take him to F1, Ferrari invited Rossi to more tests in Valencia, Jerez, and Mugello.

In 2004, when Valentino Rossi tested a Ferrari F1 car, he was just 0.7’s off Michael Schumacher’s pace.

What could have been?! pic.twitter.com/cjKJtvC74k

— ESPN F1 (@ESPNF1) August 5, 2021

Rossi went a step ahead at the Circuit Ricardo Tormo in Valencia in 2006. He improved on his performances, and this time, was just half a second slower than Schumacher and also reigning World Champion Fernando Alonso.

President of the Maranello-based outfit Luca di Montezemolo said, “Valentino is not only a champion on two wheels, but also has an incredible feeling for the car. He has a real talent and, if he wanted, could be a great F1 driver.”

It wasn’t just di Montezemolo who was impressed. Team Principal Jean Todt and the entire engineering crew of the Ferrari squad were even reportedly considering him to get to F1 the next year. However, the switch did not happen.

Why Rossi didn’t make to F1?

2006 was Schumacher’s last year in F1 (before he returned in 2010 with Mercedes) which is why Ferrari was on the hunt for a replacement. And for some time, Rossi was the pole candidate.

He was being lined up to be the second driver to Felipe Massa for the fabled F1 outfit, before they finally settled with Kimi Raikkonen, a decision which in hindsight, won them the 2007 Drivers’ title. But could Rossi have also had a shot at the crown?

Why not? In the end, the reason Rossi didn’t join Ferrari or F1 was not the lack of talent. It was his extraordinary form in Moto GP, where he was breaking records for fun at the time. Switching disciplines just didn’t seem logical.