Jorge Lorenzo Drives Formula 1 Race Car

Reigning MotoGP World Champion Jorge Lorenzo took advantage of a short break in the 18-race series to drive a Mercedes Formula 1 W05 Hybrid this week at England's historic Silverstone circuit, one of the fastest tracks on the two-wheel calendar (click here for MotoGP race results from Silverstone) .

“The past few days have been very special,” Lorenzo said. “I had the opportunity to work alongside some of the best engineers in this sport, I drove the F2 car, and had simulator test sessions. Finally, I got to drive the real deal.”

Predictably, the Movistar Yamaha rider, currently third overall in the championship behind Repsol Honda's Marc Marquez and teammate Valentino Rossi, was awestruck by the otherworldly performance of the hybrid 1.6-liter V-6 turbo.

"The car is very smooth," he said. "I expected a more twitchy and difficult car but everything was so good. The car is really, really fast, and the grip is unreal. You get used to the power, similar to a MotoGP bike.

“But in the corners, you are in a different world—about 25 mph faster through the middle of the corners. I was surprised how late you can brake, and the amount of grip the car can support at full throttle in the fast corners is insane.”

Mercedes AMG Petronas engineer Richard Lane coordinated the on-track portion of the test. “Between runs, Jorge pored over the data, looking to find areas of improvement,” Lane said. “His interest in the detail of his performance has been impressive. You can see why he’s a multiple champion on two wheels.”