Ronnie O'Sullivan has confidently claimed he would have given Lewis Hamilton a 'good run for his money' in F1 if he hadn't decided on a career in snooker.
O'Sullivan has long etched himself into snooker folklore as one of the best players of all time.
No player has won more than his 23 Triple Crown titles and he's bidding to stand alone with the most world titles in Sheffield as he gets his tournament underway against Jackson Page on Wednesday.
Speaking ahead of the tournament, O'Sullivan has warned his rivals that he's not going to go down without a fight.
Ronnie O'Sullivan feels he would have had a successful racing career
GETTY
His chances have already been slightly improved as top 10 seeds Luca Brecel, Mark Selby, Mark Williams, Ali Carter and Gary Wilson have been knocked out of the competition.
O'Sullivan will be looking to blow his rivals away as he attempts to lift the crown at the Crucible for an eighth time.
He regularly lives up to his nickname 'Rocket' for his electric playing style, but it's another sport where O'Sullivan feels he could have also been quick on the gas.
“I’d probably be challenging Lewis Hamilton, round a Formula 1 track, probably give him a good run for his money as well - because I’m a bit nifty in a car," he said on the eve of the world championships.
"I think I was actually gifted to be a good driver.
"I’d have definitely been a world champion at some sort of motorsport. I’ve no doubt about that.”
O'Sullivan has showcased his racing prowess on TV before having featured on popular BBC programme Top Gear when it was hosted by Jeremy Clarkson and co.
The 48-year-old competed in the ‘Star in a Reasonably Priced Car’ segment back in 2004 and ended up fourth on the leaderboard, just behind petrolheads Simon Cowell, Jimmy Carr and Ellen MacArthur.
Ronnie O'Sullivan confidently claimed he could race with Lewis Hamilton
GETTY
O'Sullivan also made his motorsport debut in the Volkswagen Racing Cup more than a decade ago.
He got behind the wheel of a 130mph racing saloon in two 20-minute rounds.
LATEST SPORT NEWS:
Ronnie O'Sullivan is bidding to win an eighth world title
GETTY
O'Sullivan may fancy his hand behind the wheel of a race car, but it's in snooker where he continues to dominate and has held the top spot in the rankings for over two years.
He's at risk of dropping down from his No 1 spot at the World Snooker Championship with Mark Allen holding the provisional position going into the tournament.
But O'Sullivan can keep hold of his top spot by winning an eighth world title without Allen making it to the final.
