Watch Sky Sports' video from Valencia as Hamilton rides Rossi's Yamaha bike, and Rossi drives Hamilton's Mercedes F1 car
Thursday 12 December 2019 06:15, UK
They combine for 15 world titles in motorsport, and are arguably the greatest of all-time at their craft. And this week, Lewis Hamilton and Valentino Rossi - superstars of F1 and MotoGP - traded machinery for the ultimate racer job swap.
On an momentous day in Valencia, Hamilton, F1's six-time champion, rode Rossi's Yamaha bike, while Rossi, who has nine titles on two wheels, drove Hamilton's Mercedes F1 car, with Sky Sports on hand to cover the event and observe the pair as they compared times after their laps.
"Honestly this has been the best year and this has just topped off," Hamilton, who added his sixth crown after a superlative 2019 season, told Sky Sports News' Craig Slater.
"I wasn't expecting to get to December and have this kind of high."
Although Hamilton has motorcycle experience, it was his first time on a MotoGP bike, while it was Rossi's first F1 test in over nine years after previous experience with Ferrari. Both drivers spun, but thoroughly enjoyed the experience and boasted impressive times to boot.
Rossi was just 1.5s off Hamilton's lap in the same Mercedes car, while Hamilton finished 4s slower than Rossi on the bike - comparable to the Italian's car performance given his lap was longer.
"The bike is so hard to ride," explained Hamilton. "I had one little spin with it but otherwise brought it back in one piece. I was just step by step learning, but it's a very steep learning curve."
Hamilton, 34, and Rossi, 40, have long proved their class in their respective fields of motorsport - but this was just another reminder of their talent, whatever the machinery.
