Is World Champion Fabio Quartararo the next MotoGP rider to test a Formula 1 car? During the summer break he attended the French Grand Prix in Le Castellet. Especially the connections to Mercedes are close. They got to know each other in 2019 through sponsor Petronas.
Quartararo posted a photo on Instagram of Le Castellet sitting in the cockpit of the Silver Arrow. Caption: “Today I’m driving!” It was then that reports began to surface that he might get a private test with Mercedes later in the year.
Quartararo also gets along well with Lewis Hamilton. Both are also linked through sponsor Monster Energy. At the end of July, Hamilton posted a video on Instagram. You can see him and Quartararo. Both had fun with water sports off the coast of Monaco.
So what about a Formula 1 test? “Regarding Mercedes, I’m working on it, but nothing is planned yet, but of course that would be something I would love to do,” says Quartararo with a smile on his face.
Quartararo ‘had a great day’ with Hamilton
“I’ve been in the simulator. I’ve been in the car, but I’ve never had a chance to test it. I had a great day with Lewis, but we didn’t talk about racing. We just had fun jet-skiing. It was a good day.”
A year ago, before the MotoGP race at Silverstone, Quartararo was allowed to visit the Mercedes factory in Brackley and try out the Formula 1 simulator. At the time, he spoke of an “incredible” experience.
In recent years, a number of MotoGP stars have had the opportunity to test a Formula 1 car. In 2018, Jorge Lorenzo was allowed to drive the 2014 Mercedes at Silverstone. In 2018, Red Bull organized a unique experience in Spielberg for the then Honda drivers.
Marc Marquez and Dani Pedrosa drove a 2012 Red Bull in Toro Rosso livery. And Valentino Rossi, who tested regularly for Ferrari between 2004 and 2010, was allowed to test the Mercedes at the end of 2019. At that time, Hamilton did a few laps with the Yamaha in Valencia.