Rain fails to dampen Valentino Rossi’s Ferrari fun

Rain and a couple of early spins failed to dampen Valentino Rossi’s enjoyment as he got behind the wheel of a Ferrari F1 car for the sixth time at the Catalunya circuit in Spain yesterday (Wednesday).

The reigning MotoGP world champion, who has previously flirted with the idea of a lucrative switch to F1, encountered a wet track during the morning session after heavy overnight rain.

And the Fiat Yamaha rider, who is bidding to lift a tenth world title in 2010, suffered a couple of small spins before conditions significantly improved for the afternoon.

The 30-year-old managed to complete 68 laps and post a best time of 1.25.2 and he said: “I’m happy. It was a good test, although it was wet in the morning and without grip I had some problems.

“Fortunately it dried off in the afternoon and I could use the slicks and improve my lap times.

Rossi’s two-day test in Ferrari’s old 2008 car concludes today.