Lewis Hamilton has long been a fan of motorcycles. He has even taken the opportunity to train on high-performance bikes during F1 off-seasons.
The Briton is also a keen follower of MotoGP, the sport’s top tier. He has been linked with investment in the past, having held discussions with Gresini last year and there were even reports connecting him to KTM when the company was facing financial challenges.
With MotoGP now under Liberty Media ownership, Hamilton might find himself competing with Max Verstappen for one of several available teams, as long-term revenue is expected to climb under the new regime.
The seven-time world champion once traded rides with MotoGP icon Valentino Rossi back in 2019. Hamilton took a turn on Rossi’s Yamaha in Valencia while the Italian jumped behind the wheel of his Mercedes Formula 1 car.
Lewis Hamilton never looked out of place on a MotoGP bike
Former Mercedes engineer Toni Cuquerella told DAZN that Hamilton spent his winter breaks focused on learning to master motorcycles.
Hamilton “quickly got the hang of it,” according to Cuquerella, as his basic racing instincts took over. He also “was not afraid of falling,” unlike his Mercedes teammates.
“When the season ends, some people go skiing, others go surfing or whatever, and Hamilton decided he would learn to ride a motorbike very quickly.
“He had a knack for it; the truth is that he quickly got the hang of riding fast on a motorbike. While I was more accustomed to the technique, he understood much better than I did how to go fast. And one very important thing: he wasn’t afraid of falling, which is not the case for me, so I’m a little more fearful.”
The Briton has been spotted arriving at F1 venues on bikes before. He once showed up at Monaco GP on a custom MV Agusta and rode a Ducati superbike to Spa as well.
Toto Wolff once opened up about Hamilton’s pace on a MotoGP bike
Toto Wolff once shared a story about Hamilton ‘secretly’ riding a MotoGP bike at Jerez. While he was at Mercedes, Wolff received a call telling him that the Englishman had fallen off, but was not hurt.
Hamilton still managed to finish only four seconds behind the MotoGP riders, with Wolff calling it proof of his outstanding feel for racing machinery.
The seven-time world champion is far from the only F1 driver to show skill in other forms of motorsport. Verstappen recently caught attention after meeting the required training hours to compete in an endurance race at the Nurburgring Nordschleife, where he impressed during a GT3 test session.
Valentino Rossi also tested several times for Ferrari in the 2000s, and there was even serious talk about him making a move to F1. He decided to stay in MotoGP during his prime years but later moved into car racing after retirement.
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