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Lewis Hamilton responded to rumors that he “crashed” Valentino Rossi’s bike, saying he had “one little spin”.
The pair performed a ride swap at a Monster Energy promotional event. The rumor was reported by Italian newspaper Corriere dello Sport, but Hamilton cleared up the whole story when talking to Sky Italia.
“The bike is so hard to ride,” said the Briton.
“I had one little spin with it but otherwise brought it back in one piece. I was just step by step learning, but it’s a very steep learning curve.
Seven-time MotoGP champion Valentino Rossi told La Repubblica newspaper that the wind in Valencia’s made things difficult for Hamilton.
“Technically, Valencia is very difficult and it was a windy day, so in some places it wasn’t easy for him to continue,” said Rossi.
“But he was brilliant on the bike, and his position was great. I think he had a lot of fun because he didn’t want to stop.
In the end Hamilton was full of praise for the MotoGP machine.
“It’s a rocket. When you accelerate it’s incredible,” continued Hamilton.
“The braking is not the same as a Formula 1 car but there are so many other things to think about – the body position, the gears, the head position. You have to master so many things at once.
“I’ll be flying high all next week after this. I think it’s my last week of work, and then I’ll enjoy the holidays.”
