Lando Norris caught up with seven-time Moto GP and motorsport legend Valentino Rossi at Brands Hatch earlier this week. Norris posted a picture of himself with the legendary motorcycle road racer, who was competing in the GT World Challenge Europe. After leaving Moto GP in 2021, Rossi switched to four-wheel racing, which explains why he is competing the particular series.
Norris is currently in the middle of a one-week break alongside all F1 drivers, who will travel to Imola this week for the upcoming Emilia-Romagna Grand Prix. On his Instagram account, he posted a picture of himself at the Brand Hatch circuit, with Rossi who was suited up for his race. The caption underneath the McLaren driver’s post wrote, “Reunited with the GOAT.”
Indeed, Rossi is one of the GOATs of Moto GP, with some even calling him the undisputed best. He made his debut in the series in 2002 and competed until the 2021 season, winning seven world championships in the time span.
This isn’t the first time Norris met Rossi, as he said. The 23-year-old met his “hero” Valentino Rossi back in 2019, and he uploaded the entire vlog of his visit on his YouTube channel.
When Valentino Rossi swapped machines with seven-time F1 champ Lewis Hamilton
Like Rossi, Lewis Hamilton too is a legend of motorsports, having won seven-world championships during his time in Formula 1. A the age of 38, he is still going strong and knows what he is doing with the car. However, it seems as though Hamilton as a good idea about how to handle a motorbike too.
Back in 2019, he met Rossi at the Circuit Ricardo Tormo in Valencia, where they swapped vehicles. Hamilton drove Rossi’s motorbike, whereas Rossi suited up to drive an F1 car around the circuit! Getting used to new and drastically different machines wasn’t easy, but they both did a great job.
Both Hamilton and Rossi enjoyed the swap immensely. The Italian even said to Hamilton, “It was unforgettable to ride with you.” The video for the same was uploaded and shared by Sky Sports.
Lando Norris looks to continue Imola podium streak
In both 2021 and 2022, Norris stood on the podium at the Emilia-Romagna GP in Imola. Last season, he managed to get a P3 finish even though his car wasn’t as strong as many of his rivals out on track, but this year, thinking about a podium result could a far stretch.
McLaren haven’t improved much from last year, and both Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri are struggling to get the car into the points places on a regular basis. In Miami two weeks ago, both Norris and Piastri finished outside the points, with Piastri being lapped.
Norris may not get a podium result in Imola (or he just might, you never know) but the Briton and the McLaren outfit will be hoping to leave with a strong points haul nevertheless.
