Motor racing-Hamilton and MotoGP great Rossi preparing for ride swap

Hamilton, who collected his F1 champion's trophy at an FIA gala in Paris on Friday, will head to Valencia's Ricardo Tormo circuit for the closed event organised by mutual sponsor Monster.

"I think me and @LewisHamilton will have some fun soon," Rossi teased on his Instagram feed next to a picture of him sitting in a Mercedes F1 car.

The 40-year-old Italian, a nine times world champion with seven of those coming in the top MotoGP class, will drive a 2017 Mercedes while Hamilton gets to ride Rossi's Yamaha.

Rossi has driven a Formula One car before, several times with Ferrari between 2004 and 2010 when there was speculation he could follow in the tracks of the late Britons John Surtees and Mike Hailwood and switch from two wheels to four.

Four times 500cc world champion Surtees remains the only man to win the Formula One title (in 1964) as well as top motorcycling honours.

Hamilton is also a keen motorcycle rider, riding to some European tracks and testing a Yamaha superbike but never a MotoGP machine.

"I’m super excited about it," the 34-year-old told reporters last month.

"Just being on the same track at the same time as Valentino is going to be very, very surreal, and a real honour, because he’s such an icon in the sport, and he’s done so much. It’ll be cool to see him in my car as well." (Reporting by Alan Baldwin in London, editing by Ken Ferris)