Several current and past F1 drivers have tried their hands at other motorsports such as IndyCar, and the 24 Hours of Le Mans, among others. However, few have ever transitioned from four-wheelers to two-wheelers. Since Lewis Hamilton has experience driving MotoGP bikes, Max Verstappen believes his arch-rival would be the one to beat in this discipline.
When asked who would win a MotoGP race if all the current F1 drivers were to compete in it, Verstappen replied, “I guess the one with the most experience on a bike. I guess Lewis [Hamilton] has tried quite a few times“.
Q: if one driver would have to race in motogp who would most likely win?
max: “i guess the one with the most experience on a bike (…) i guess lewis has tried quite a few times”
3344 crumbs????? pic.twitter.com/BKBHH7Twrm
— ️ @ ZANDVOORT (@annieksxf1) August 23, 2024
Hamilton famously drove a MotoGP bike when he swapped machinery with Valentino Rossi. He drove Rossi’s 2019 Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP YZR-M1 bike at the Circuit Ricardo Tormo in Valencia, Spain. After watching Hamilton ride, the seven-time Moto GP champion’s respect for the then-six-time F1 champion grew even more. Rossi said,
“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“.
When Valentino Rossi and Lewis Hamilton swapped rides pic.twitter.com/2km8KmpTQy
— ESPN F1 (@ESPNF1) August 5, 2021
Hamilton is so passionate about MotoGP that at one point in time, he reportedly contemplated investing in Gresini Racing- an iconic side in MotoGP currently fielding six-time champion Marc Marquez.
With speculation around the same growing, the British F1 driver was quizzed about the same. In reply, he acknowledged his close interest in MotoGP and his keenness to see it grow.
However, he made it clear that he had not thought about buying any team. At the same time, he admitted that anything was possible and his investment in the NFL team Denver Broncos was a classic case in point.
