The Yamaha rider shares Monster Energy and Petronas sponsorship with seven-time world champion Lewis Hamilton , and last year’s Formula 1 French Grand Prix joined the team to learn about his activity at Paul Ricard.
During that weekend, Quartararo reported that he would complete a test with the German top-flight motorsport team at the end of the year.
He was also with Lewis Hamilton earlier this week , with whom he shared a day of windsurfing, but he clarifies that they were not talking about racing.
“I had a really nice day with Lewis, but we don’t talk about racing, we just had fun surfing and jet skiing. It was a good day.”
Speaking ahead of this weekend’s MotoGP British Grand Prix, Quartararo commented that his test with Mercedes “is not planned yet, and that it is something he is” still working on.
Quartararo drove the Brackley-based outfit’s simulator ahead of last year’s British Grand Prix, an experience he said was “incredible” but now he hopes to test the real thing.
The French driver completed 50 laps and said then that he would “love to drive” an F1 car and that “trying it would be nice.”
In 2019, Mercedes offered MotoGP legend Valentino Rossi the opportunity to drive their 2017 car, with which Hamilton won the title. The rider swap took place at the Ricardo Tormo circuit in Valencia, as Hamilton tested Rossi’s M1 MotoGP car.
In 2016, as a parting gift from Monster Energy before his departure from Yamaha, Jorge Lorenzo was also able to test the Mercedes F1 that won the 2014 title at Silverstone.
In 2018, Marc Márquez drove a 2012 Red Bull at Spielberg, alongside his then-Honda teammate Dani Pedrosa.
Quartararo currently leads the MotoGP standings with a 21-point lead over Aprilia’s Aleix Espargaró, while Pramac Ducati’s Johann Zarco is third.
