Formula 1 world champion Lewis Hamilton has always emphasized that he has a passion for motorcycles. On April 1, 2018, as a May Day joke, the Briton even announced his transition to MotoGP. But even if it was just a joke, the idea that Hamilton would change to two wheels, at least in theory, looks interesting enough.
Will Hamilton be able to compete in races? “The 107 percent rule isn't that hard to break,” former racer Alex Hofmann told Motorsport.com. - Many amateur riders can cross this border and get admission. We're talking about six or seven seconds depending on the race track. In the past, Michael Schumacher managed to do this. Then he was three to four seconds slower for the best result in the world Superbike."
Considering Hamilton's speed during Yamaha's Jerez tests, he could theoretically be eligible to race. According to Michael van der Mark in Jerez, Hamilton's lap time was about seven seconds slower than the WSBK riders' lap time.
“In my opinion, race car drivers will not be able to overcome the last two or three seconds,” - said Hoffman. - Of course, they have a sense of speed and go very fast. But the technique of riding a motorcycle is very different from the technique of driving a car.”
Experienced racer van der Mark, when he worked with Hamilton in Jerez, gave him advice like this: “He tried to go through corners as fast as in a car. We had to stop him and show him which lines to drive correctly."
You can get faster step by step. But Hofmann does not believe that a race car driver can really take a step towards the world's motorcycle elite.
“They cannot master tricks such as braking at maximum tilt in a corner or accelerating in a tilt. This, in my opinion, is impossible."
In addition to driving techniques, safety while driving a car and a motorcycle is completely different. If you make a mistake on a motorcycle, the risk of injury is much greater.
“Let's hope that Lewis gets more pleasure than hurting himself like Schumacher,” Hofmann said, noting that a rookie might overdo it. “You can reach the highest level very quickly and then think,“Wow! Now I am doing everything as it should be. " But that's when the bike shows its temper. There are no indulgences here."
It is for this reason that Hamilton tested Yamaha only after the end of the Formula 1 season.
This year, MotoGP World Champion Marc Marquez also decided to test himself in another racing car. He and Dani Pedrosa tested an old 2012 Toro Rosso on the Red Bull Ring in Austria in June.
“A motorcyclist feels immortal in a car,” Hofmann thinks of safety in a race car. "He just needs to take a closer look, get used to the dynamics of the movement and find out how fast you can go."
The former MotoGP racer took part in the 24-hour race at the Nurburgring. But Hofmann does not believe that a motorcycle racer can go to Formula 1 and fight the leaders there.
