Aston Martin Red Bull Racing are set to hand a Formula 1 test to reigning MotoGP champion Marc Márquez at the Red Bull Ring next month.
It will mark the first time the Red Bull backed rider, who has four MotoGP titles to his name, has driven a Formula 1 car; and will be joined by his Repsol Honda team-mate Dani Pedrosa and Motocross star Tony Cairoli. It is believed that the riders will test the RB9, the car that took Sebastian Vettel and Red Bull to their fourth respective world championship wins.
However, both Márquez and Pedrosa hold single-seater experience, having driven a Japanese Formula 3 series car at a Honda publicity day at the Twin Ring Motegi circuit last December.
In preparation for the test on 5-6 June, Pedrosa, Márquez and Cairoli will visit the team’s Milton Keynes base for a seat fitting and simulator practice.
Márquez and Pedrosa are far from the first MotoGP riders to have a taste of Formula 1; in 2016, fellow Spaniard Jorge Lorenzo utilised his links with Monster Energy to test the title-winning Mercedes AMG Petronas Motorsport W05 at the Silverstone International Circuit. Additionally, seven-times champion Valentino Rossi extensively tested with Scuderia Ferrari in 2006, even being touted as Michael Schumacher‘s successor for the 2007 season.
