The Mercedes paddock has hosted world champions in their garage for years, but the French GP was different. The popularity of F1 is touching skies and inviting interests from all across the globe. One sport that has always gone hand in hand with F1 is MotoGP. Similar to F1, MotoGP is the premier class of motorcycle racing. Therefore, seeing a MotoGP star at the French GP shouldn’t come as a surprise.
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However, the surprising part is the news attached to the MotoGP star hosted in the Mercedes paddock. As confirmed by the man himself, Fabio Quartararo, the 2021 MotoGP world champion, should test for Mercedes. The French shares the same sponsors as the Silver Arrows and might test a Mercedes F1 car toward the end of the year.
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Despite a potential test scheduled toward the end of the year, Quartararo got his first taste of the cockpit. The world champion shared a picture of himself in a W13 with the caption, “I’m driving today”. Which was a joke for the French GP but will become reality soon.
Quartararo confirmed the test in a statement, “We are working to be able to get into a Formula 1 car at the end of the year, so we are keeping our fingers crossed.”
And added, “Formula 1 is very different from MotoGP, but I like it a lot. I hope to be able to ride in one of these cars one day.”
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It will be interesting to see the ambitious MotoGP racer behind an F1 single-seater. However, this isn’t the first time a MotoGP champ has jumped the fence into F1?
Quartararo is following the footsteps of another MotoGP champion with his test with Mercedes
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The Frenchman won’t be the first MotoGP world champion to get behind an F1 single-seater. The legendary Valentino Rossi has jumped the fence multiple times. He tested for Ferrari, lapping 0.7s off the pace of Michael Schumacher. However, he never switched his sport.
MotoGP – Valencia Grand Prix – Circuit Ricardo Tormo, Cheste, Spain – November 14, 2021 Petronas Yamaha SRT’s Valentino Rossi in action during the MotoGP race REUTERS/Pablo Morano TPX IMAGES OF THE DAY
His latest test was with Mercedes as he swapped rides with fellow multiple world championship winner Lewis Hamilton. Rossi drove the 2017 Mercedes W08 and claimed, it “was a spectacular opportunity for me”.
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Following Rossi’s footsteps, Quartararo will test with Mercedes. But only time will tell if he has the potential to switch his two-wheeler for a four-wheeler.
