Mercedes team principal Toto Wolff has disclosed that Lewis Hamilton secretly tested a superbike in Spain back in 2018, keeping the venture hidden from his boss. The seven-time world champion disappeared for 48 hours to ride a Yamaha YZF-R1 at Jerez, even falling off during the covert session.
Wolff learned of the test only after it concluded, having been unable to contact Hamilton or his head of strategy. Speaking on the Armchair Expert podcast, he said: “I couldn’t get hold of him for two days. And then I’m calling Lewis. My engineer picks up and says, ‘It’s all good. He’s fine.’ I said, ‘What happened?’ He fell. But he was four seconds off the MotoGP pros. It’s unbelievable. The body feeling that he has is what makes him a champion.”
The following year, Hamilton swapped vehicles with MotoGP legend Valentino Rossi, testing a 2019 Yamaha YZR-M1 while Rossi drove Hamilton’s title-winning F1 car. Wolff also recalled Hamilton’s surprise gift of a rare MV Augusta bike, with the racer saying: “You’ve done so many great things... I’ve never given you a gift. So I want to give you the number one of a 44 edition.”
Now, Hamilton is preparing for his Ferrari debut after ending his 12-year stint with Mercedes. He drove a Ferrari F1 car for the first time this week, with his sights set on an unprecedented eighth world championship. The 40-year-old will make his racing debut for the Scuderia at the Australian Grand Prix in March.
