Zanardi tips Rossi for F1 glory

The Italian driver, however, is convinced Rossi could be successful if he decides to race on four wheels.

"I think Valentino Rossi has the capabilities to do great things in F1 too, but whoever thinks it's all decided already is wrong," Zanardi told Gazzetta dello Sport. "At the moment, when he's in a Ferrari, he uses 95% of his brain to make the car work at its best.

"He doesn't see beyond ten metres in front of him, which is exactly the opposite of what happens when he rides the bike. Valentino, even if he's leading a very difficult race, in the last laps can look at the large screens around the track and see how the others are doing and maybe decide which restaurant to go to with his girlfriend.

"He doesn't have to do much to go faster than everyone else. But if today he finds himself at the start of an F1 GP on a circuit he doesn't know, like Melbourne, then I think he would be three seconds slower. However, he's so full of talent that with a year's testing he can make it."

Rossi completed a successful test with Ferrari 10 days ago, setting some promising times in a car fitted with a V10 engine.

The MotoGP champion has been widely linked with a move to Ferrari when Michael Schumacher retires.