McLaren’s Andrea Stella claims MotoGP legend Valentino Rossi ‘could’ve been a successful F1 driver’

Andrea Stella revealed that Ferrari had faith in Valentino Rossi to succeed in F1.

McLaren’s Andrea Stella claims MotoGP legend Valentino Rossi ‘could’ve been a successful F1 driver’

Andrea Stella and Valentino Rossi (Via IMAGO)

Valentino Rossi is an icon in the world of motorcycle racing. The Italian won nine MotoGP world titles during his historic career. However, there was a time when the 44-year-old considered switching to single-seater racing, specifically Formula 1. McLaren Team Principal Andrea Stella recalls his time with Rossi when he was in Ferrari.

The MotoGP icon conducted multiple tests with Scuderia Ferrari between 2004 and 2010. Stella was the performance engineer at Maranello in the 2000s and saw Rossi’s progress closely. The McLaren boss reckoned that the Italian was always close to the reference points. Subsequently, Ferrari was convinced that Valentino Rossi could make it big in Formula 1.

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However, the team understood that Rossi would need to do extensive testing for at least a year before making his debut. Andrea Stella said in Beyond the Grid (H&T: Soymotor), “In the eight tests we carried out with Valentino, in the last laps, he was always very close to the references we put on him. We had a feeling he would reach that level and we thought he could be a Formula 1 driver, but he needed a year of testing.”

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Also Read: Max Verstappen says he wants to emulate the career of Moto GP legend Valentino Rossi

Andrea Stella recalls Valentino Rossi’s first test with Ferrari

The 52-year-old shed light on the Italian’s first test with Ferrari. Valentino Rossi got behind the wheel of the legendary Ferrari F2004 in 2004. However, the MotoGP icon struggled with one of the fastest cars in the sport’s history. Stella mentioned that Rossi struggled with the tire temperatures. So much so, that Maranello decided to run him on intermediates on a dry track.

Valentino Rossi testing the Ferrari F2004 at Fiorano (image via F1i.com)
Valentino Rossi testing the Ferrari F2004 at Fiorano (image via F1i.com)

Interestingly, Valentino Rossi managed to perform with the intermediates. The Italian began to show some decent pace at Fiorano. Andrea Stella admitted that it was a rather intriguing test. He said, “When he hit the track he couldn’t go fast enough to put the tires on temperature and he felt he was piloting on ice. I didn’t want to drive that car and we made the decision to put the intermediates, in dry conditions and with those wheels you began to believe that it was fast, it was interesting.”

However, Valentino Rossi never actually made a switch to Formula 1. The Italian racer simply could not relinquish his love for motorcycles to pursue a career in single-seaters. Nevertheless, Rossi’s tests with Ferrari remain one of the biggest what-ifs in motorsport. The MotoGP legend might have had the chance to achieve success at the pinnacle of motorsport.

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