"It was a very revealing test considering that, for the first time, I found myself on the track with Formula 1 drivers," said MotoGP star Valentino Rossi at the conclusion of two days on track with Scuderia Ferrari at Valencia last week as part of an official F1 test session. "I have to say that I felt at home and did not have any particular problems: perhaps I have to practise a little in driving in the wet!" added the flamboyant Italian, who turned in more than 100 laps on the Spanish track.

"As ever, the Ferrari welcome was fantastic. It is a very close knit group and I felt at ease with Michael, Felipe and the technicians and mechanics. I didn't come here to prove anything but to deepen my knowledge of a Formula 1 racing car and I thank Ferrari for continuing to offer me this chance," added Rossi who drove a rev-restricted V10-engined F2004, and was surrounded by huge media attention during his test.

Rossi's Valencia test, carried out in the public eye for the first time, comes at a point when Scuderia Ferrari are concentrating all their efforts on developing the new 248 F1 chassis, which they hope will see them back in the winners' circle this year after a dismal 2005 by their high standards. Throwing Rossi into the mix demonstrates just how seriously they are taking the idea of bike star driving for them in 2006. "There will be more tests in the coming months," confirmed Rossi, "but for now I will get back on the bike as this is at the front of my mind. I, like Ferrari, have a challenge ahead of me: we both have a world title to go for and, possibly, win!" A Ferrari spokesman later confirmed that further track tests for Rossi were being planned in the near future.
 

Ferrari's team leader, the seven-times F1 World Champion Michael Schumacher, was quoted by L'Equipe as saying that the huge media hype surrounding Rossi's test had left him free to concentrate on developing the new Ferrari 248 F1 chassis which he drove in Valencia. "It been easy for me to just get on with my work," said the German, who excused Rossi's early spin, adding that: "It's easy to skid off on wet tyres. For him it would be like driving on ice."

"He should give up motorbikes and join us," Italian daily newspaper Gazzetta dello Sport reported BMW Sauber's Jacques Villeneuve as saying. "But it is true that the last few tenths are the most difficult. But I am not surprised that he drives well," added the outspoken former F1 World Champion. Meanwhile, Jarno Trulli believed that Rossi's early test spin was not a worry. "A damp track is tricky even for us," said the Toyota driver. "Of course he needs more time, but he already looks like a Formula One driver, which inspires me," said Rossi's father Graziano, who is himself a former professional motorbike racer. "Valentino drives better here than he has at the other tests," he added.