MotoGP legend Valentino Rossi makes his feelings known about meeting Michael Schumacher during his Ferrari test

MotoGP legend Valentino Rossi has pulled back the curtain on meeting Michael Schumacher during his Ferrari test and how the German surprised him. In the early 2000s, both MotoGP and F1 had one man towering over the rest of the field and dominating the sport.

For F1, it was Michael Schumacher who dominated the sport with Ferrari by going on an unbeaten title run from 2000 onwards. For MotoGP, it was Valentino Rossi who was dominating the sport, first with Honda and then with Yamaha. It was in 2006, however, when the German was nearing the end of his career, that Rossi was given the opportunity to test a Formula 1 car.

The Italian tested the Ferrari, and it is said that the MotoGP legend had impressed everyone but opted not to pursue a change in career. Looking back at his test, Valentino Rossi has now revealed that he wasn't looking forward to seeing Michael Schumacher during the test. In the past, he had picked the German's rival Jacques Villeneuve to triumph over him, and the Italian felt that there could be bad blood between the two of them.

Talking to Corriere della Sera, Rossi shared that he had some great memories of Michael Schumacher, as when he met him in the Ferrari garage, the German was very kind to him, and there was no bad blood. He said (via Planet F1):

“I have beautiful memories of Schumi. It was known that years before I had bet on Jacques Villeneuve, therefore against him. So, when we found ourselves in the garage I was a bit paranoid. I thought now he would look at me and think, ‘here he is, the a**hole’. Instead, very kind, he gave me a lot of advice. A great guy.”

Rossi on Michael Schumacher's Mercedes successor

Rossi also had an opportunity to interact with Michael Schumacher's successor at Mercedes, Lewis Hamilton, in 2018 when he tested the Mercedes and the Brit tested his Yamaha. Talking about his experience of meeting the other seven-time world champion, Rossi said:

“Nice. Dinner and confidences. The next day, I arrived late. I was changing, he walked into the motorhome and it was Hamilton dressed as Hamilton. He pointed to the clock: the usual Italians, cappuccino, brioche… He scolded me. Smiled. Not entirely, however.”

On being questioned about Lewis Hamilton's move to Ferrari, the Italian admitted he was interested in seeing what the Brit could do in the car alongside Charles Leclerc. He said:

“Of course, it’s a beautiful thing. Seeing him there, in the red race-suit, excites me too. I really want to understand how he copes. And how Leclerc is doing.”

Valentino Rossi is a motorsport icon himself in Italy and is a name that everyone knows. He ended his MotoGP career with a whopping seven titles in the series.