“When they have a crash, it’s big,” Lewis Hamilton believes Moto GP more hardcore as compared to F1
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Lewis Hamilton
Lewis Hamilton the 7 time Formula One world champion has recently given his view on the Moto GP championship and believes that it is the most extreme sport when it comes to racing.
The brit has a lot of admiration for what the riders in Moto GP do on a regular basis. Lewis loves Moto GP and is an ardent believer that it is more “hardcore” than Formula One.
Lewis Hamilton recently appeared alongside nine-time motorbike world champion Valentino Rossi for a joint interview sponsored by IWC Schaffhausen, where they both spoke highly about each other and what they have done in their respective motorsport categories.
Rossi departed the world of motorbike racing at the end of 2021 and will take on a new project in the form of the GT World Challenge Europe series this season.
The Italian Rossi during the interview revealed that the Moto GP riders admire the F1 drivers and also admitted that the same respect is afforded to Moto GP by the F1 family.
At this moment, Hamilton jumped in on the conversation and agreed with what Rossi said. However, stressed that the motorbike class is more extreme than F1.
While talking about Moto GP Lewis Hamilton said, “For us… I personally think that MotoGP is more hardcore – these guys don’t have seatbelts!.”
“When they have a crash, it’s big. It’s very, very difficult for them to improve safety, so that fear factor is always there and it’s been there for years.”
“Maybe there’s a bit of traction control and lift control but, generally, you can be thrown off. In [F1], it’s getting safer and safer and safer.”
Lewis Hamilton referenced the Roman Grosjean incident of the 2020 Bahrain Grand Prix as an example of how safety is improving season after season in F1 and stressed Moto GP on the other hand still is “nerve-racking.”
“We had a huge crash just recently,”
“[The] car [was] in flames and [he got] out. So it’s gone from a racing series that was very, very dangerous and people were losing lives many years ago, and I think it’s going in the right direction.”
“But we watch what he does [Rossi] and what they do in complete shock. These guys are doing 360 kilometers an hour at the end of the straight braking into Turn 1 at Mugello!”
“And then they have the high-side moments and all that… it’s nerve-racking.”
Lewis Hamilton wanted to pursue a career in motorbikes
Hamilton during the interview revealed his heart’s desire and talked about going into Motorbike racing and about how his father stepped in to stop him from doing that because of the dangers of the sport.
“I’ve always loved bikes. When I was younger, I actually really wanted to ride bikes more than cars!”
“My dad didn’t want me to ride bikes. He said they’re too dangerous! So he got me four wheels instead of two.”
“I think it was the right choice because, if I was racing during the time that Vale was there, then I probably wouldn’t have been as successful!”
Hamilton also talked about the machine swap event of 2019 where he and Rossi switched machines to get a taste of each other’s sport.
“Since I’ve been in F1, I have a superbike and, at the end of the year, I like to go out and do some track days,” Hamilton said.
“It’s fascinating and gives you a different perspective. Obviously watching on TV is one thing, but it’s a lot different to an F1 car.”
“We had the privilege of doing that car and bike swap day in Valencia, and it was a real dream come true for me to experience a MotoGP bike and to be on track with the legend himself. It was very, very surreal!”
Lewis is a fan of Motorbike racing and likes doing it during the time off from Formula One and it would be interesting to see if Lewis and Rossi decide to do it again after the 2022 F1 season.
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Rishabh Negi
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