Quartararo on testing a Mercedes F1 car and hanging out with Hamilton
The MotoGP world champion returns from the summer break and must immediately contend with a long-lap penalty at the British GP at Silverstone, with title rival Aleix Espargaro desperate to cut the 21-point deficit.
It emerged last week at the F1 Hungarian Grand Prix that Quartararo was being teed up to swap two wheels for four, by Mercedes, before he spent time with Hamilton.
“Mercedes is something that I am working [towards]. It is not something that is planned yet,” Quartararo said.
“Of course, it is something that I would love to try.
“I have been in the simulator, I have been in the car. But I have never had a chance to test it.”
He was quoted by DAZN last week: "We are working to be able to get on a Formula 1 at the end of the year, so we cross our fingers.
"Formula 1 is very different from MotoGP, but I like it a lot. I hope to be able to get into a car one day."
Sky Sports F1 reporter Ted Kravitz had already claimed Quartararo was set to test a Mercedes car, adding: “so watch out for that, should be good."
Quartararo, who attended the F1 Hungarian Grand Prix and met many of the drivers, has since been testing his speed against Mercedes driver Hamilton in the ocean.
“I spent a really nice day with Lewis,” he revealed. “We were not talking about racing.
“We just had fun on the jet-ski and surfing. It was a good day.”
Quartararo would not be the first MotoGP champion who rides a Yamaha to jump into a Mercedes F1 car.
Famously, Valentino Rossi and Hamilton swapped machines and experienced each other’s worlds.
“I think MotoGP is more hardcore,” Hamilton admitted earlier this year. “These guys don’t have seatbelts.
“When they have a crash, it is big. It is hard for them to improve safety.
“The fear factor for them is always there, and has been there for years.
“Our sport is getting safer and safer.
“We watch [MotoGP] in complete shock. It is nerve-wracking.”
James was a sports journalist at Sky Sports for a decade covering everything from American sports, to football, to F1.
