MotoGP star Valentino Rossi has tested a Ferrari F1 car again this week, completing an intensive two day test session at Ferrari's private test track, Fiorano. Rossi - who holds a commanding lead in this year's MotoGP World Championship - ran more 80 laps at the wheel of last year's F2004 chassis over the allocated two days, under the watchful eye of Ferrari's Spanish test driver Marc Gené, and the Scuderia's engineers, as well as Ferrari President Luca di Montezemolo, and Sporting Director Jean Todt. In fact to emphasis the top-level interest taken by senior Ferrari management in Rossi's test his debrief was carried out by Ross Brawn. His best time - a lap of the private test track in 58.3 seconds in non-ideal weather conditions - was just over two seconds adrift of the lap record, held by Michael Schumacher.

The timing of this test has caught observers by surprise. Rossi - who is very close to Ferrari, and previously drove one of the team's cars briefly at Fiorano last year - on Monday signed a one year extension to his MotoGP Yamaha contract. "Rossi has a standing offer from Ferrari. He is welcome to come test whenever he wants," a Ferrari source said of the test, adding: "Apparently he wanted some more testing to see how he does in an F1 car."

Persistent rumours link the Italian star to a Ferrari drive, and many people within F1 believe that this supremely talented sportsman could make the switch successfully, just like seven times bike champion John Surtees did - the British driver going on to win the F1 title behind the wheel of a Ferrari in 1964. Formula One's boss, Bernie Ecclestone, has stated in the past that he would like to see him switch to Grand Prix racing. Rossi - who is 26 years old - has also been recently linked to a drive with Fiat's proposed new 'Super 2000' rally programme in the near future. In fact Fiat's competitions boss, Matilde Tommagnini, has recently expressed her desire to have Rossi to test the new 2.0-litre rally Punto, a prototype of which has recently been running at Balocco in the hand of Paolo Andreucci.

Adding further life to the equation is the fact that Rossi's test took place at exactly the same time that the Scuderia were adjusting their driver line-up, for the first time in five years. On Tuesday Ferrari announced that - as had been rumoured - Rubens Barrichello would be leaving the team, to be replaced by his fellow countryman Felipe Massa, a former Ferrari test driver, who is currently driving for the Sauber team.
 

Massa's contract with the Scuderia is for one year only, and likewise, Michael Schumacher's contract also expires at the end of 2006, just as Rossi's one year extension with Yamaha will do.

Former Ferrari F1 star Jean Alesi was impressed with Rossi's test. "Fifty-eight-three in the summer, meaning in non-ideal conditions? Formidable," Corriere della Sera reported the Frenchman as saying. "Valentino makes me dream and I say he has nothing to lose. Go ahead and try it. Everyone likes him, from the Italians to the Japanese."

At the end of the second day of testing at the Fiorano track, the Moto GP World Champion has showed his satisfaction: “I wanted to get a better understanding of a Formula 1 car," he commented, "and I would like to thank Ferrari for giving me the opportunity to do so. The two days were intensive and interesting. I completed a lot of kilometres and I began to understand the handling of the car, working with the engineers and Marc Gené. I go back to the two wheels where there is still a long way to go to the end of the season”.

With eight wins - out of ten races held this year thus far - Rossi is currently cruising to the MotoGP title. Last weekend he won the German Grand Prix at the Sachsenring - a track he professes to dislike, passing title rival Marco Melandri in an audacious move on the final lap, while the fortnight previous he had splashed to victory in the rain-soaked British Grand Prix at Donington Park, a real triumph gained despite the appalling elements.

With just 7 of the 17 rounds remaining to be contested, Rossi has a virtually-unassailable 120 point MotoGP eries lead. He now has 236 championship points, with Marco Melandri his closest rival, albeit on 116 points, and followed by Sete Gibernau (115), Colin Edwards (114), Max Biagi (113) and Alex Barron (101).