I could become top F1 driver, says MotoGP champ Rossi

Valentino Rossi

Motorcycling world champion Valentino Rossi said he believed he could become a top Formula One driver after impressing while testing a Ferrari on Thursday.

The Italian has previously tested a Ferrari F1 car amid speculation that he may one day switch from racing motorbikes to cars.

He has already proved more than capable on four wheels, finishing second at the invitational Rally of Monza last week behind three-time Le Mans winner Rinaldo Capello.

On Thursday morning he completed 30 laps of the famous Mugello circuit at Scarperia, just outside Florence, clocking a fastest time of 1min 23.930sec in the Ferrari F2008.

He got that time down to 1:22.5 in the afternoon session before bad weather cut the outing short.

"The times we did in Fiorano, here and in Valencia have been analyzed and with some good hard work and lots of effort I could become a good Formula One driver," said Rossi.

"It's difficult to say whether or not I would win, but the potential is definitely there."

His time was only around a second and a half slower than the times posted by Ferrari's regular pair Felipe Massa and Kimi Raikkonen, and that posted by Ferrari's test driver Luca Badoer on the same day. More at AFP