Seven-time Moto GP world champion Valentino Rossi says his ride swap with Lewis Hamilton taught him “much has changed” since his last outing in a Formula 1 car.

In an event organised by Monster Energy, sponsor of Mercedes and Yamaha, Hamilton and Rossi lapped the Valencia circuit testing each other’s machines.

Rossi, who last drove an F1 car in 2010, piloted six-time champion Hamilton’s Mercedes W08 from 2017, the car that secured the Briton his fourth drivers’ championship.

The Italian came close to a Ferrari F1 drive in 2007, having impressed the Scuderia – and then-Ferrari driver Michael Schumacher – in several tests.

Speaking after his first taste of F1 for nine years, Rossi said it was a “great pleasure” to experience the sensations from the current generation of cars.

“I have tried an F1 car before, but much has changed since then,” Rossi said, as quoted by Motorsport.com.

“Sincerely, I was impressed with the car and its handling, as well as with the Mercedes-AMG Petronas Motorsport team, who were great to work with. They were very welcoming and made it easy for me to get familiar with the car.

“At first you get an amazing sensation of speed. The G-forces were not so bad, but it takes some getting used to. Once I got into the rhythm I could really push. It was a great pleasure.

“I really enjoyed sharing this experience with [Lewis], and I think he had loads of fun too, demonstrated by how reluctant he was to stop riding!

“I sincerely hope we will get to have many more experiences like this in the future.”