Movistar Yamaha’s Jorge Lorenzo is set to test a Mercedes W05, the car that propelled Lewis Hamilton to the 2014 F1 World Drivers’ Championship, at Silverstone this week, according to Spanish press.
The triple MotoGP World Champion has made no secret of the fact that he is desperate to drive a Formula 1 car, and has been exploring options to do so before the year is out since June. Schedule clashes with F1 and MotoGP have been the biggest hurdle, but a free week has finally been found before MotoGP heads off to Japan next weekend for the start of a gruelling triple-header Pacific trek.
With Yamaha, Mercedes and Lorenzo all sponsored by Monster Energy, the American drinks giant has organised the test. It is thought that this is a gift from Monster to Lorenzo as a thank you for his services to Yamaha before the Spaniard departs to Ducati for 2017.
Silverstone is a circuit very familiar to Lorenzo, who won the MotoGP races there in 2010, 2012 and 2013. According to Motorsport.com, the Spaniard has completed some laps on four wheels at the 3.6-mile British track already in order to prepare for his F1 test run.
Lorenzo has previous experience racing four wheels. Lorenzo contested the Gulf 12 Hours endurance race at Abu Dhabi in 2014 in a Kessel Racing Ferrari 458 GT3, though unfortunately retired from the race.
Lorenzo will join his current teammate Valentino Rossi as the only rider on the grid to have tried a Formula 1 car, the Italian creating considerable buzz in 2006 and 2008 when he tested for Ferrari, even contemplating a switch to the series at one stage.
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