The MotoGP paddock now pitches its tents in Mugello, for the Brembo Italian Grand Prix. ‘Magnificent Mugello’, as it is known by fans around the world, is ready once again to stage a brilliant and thrilling spectacle of Grand Prix Motorcycle racing on Sunday, June 2, 2024.
The three current championship protagonists, Jorge Martin, Francesco Bagnaia, and Marc Marquez will be looking to one-up their rivals. Enea Bastianini would like to rear gun and support Pecco’s challenge for the world title while stepping up and trying to prove his worth of a Ducati ride.
The Track
The legendary Mugello circuit sits among the hills of Florence, Tuscany, Italy. Described by Mark Webber as one of the most satisfying tracks ever, comparing a lap around here to be equal to a thousand around Yas Marina in terms of satisfaction.
The 5.245 km long track boasts 15 corners, nearly half of them taken at full speed. The 1.1-kilometer-long straight followed by the sweeping right of San Donato provides the best opportunity to pass around this track. The Turn 6-7 and then 13-14 complexes are high-speed chicanes, like the one in Melbourne. The entire last sector is a complex chain of corners, get the entry into Scarperia wrong, and you’re going to suffer for the entire last part of the lap.
Thanks to the long straight, Mugello often is the fastest circuit on the calendar, and holds the record for the greatest speed ever achieved in MotoGP history, with Pecco Bagnaia touching a blistering 363.6 km/hr in his factory Ducati last year. In terms of raw speeds, only the long straights at Lusail, Buddh, and COTA have reached close, with Lusail peaking at 362.4 Kmph.
What to Expect
In the past two years or so, it has become clear that nearly every driver on the top will be a Ducati rider, with a few flashes of brilliance of Brad Binder keeping KTM afloat up there. Mugello is expected to be a battle between the Factory and customer Ducatis of Prima Pramac and Gresini.
However, do not rule out Honda and Yamaha yet, who privately tested their machinery two weeks ago on this same track to seek gains. Considering that they have more data here on their current bikes than anyone else at this particular track, Joan Mir and Fabio Quatararo have the opportunity for a shock, dark horse upset win over the Ducatis.
Keep your eye on Marc Marquez, the eight-time world champion who has proven himself to be quite a Sunday man, with him qualifying on the fifth row (fourteenth and fifteenth) in the last two races, only to go one and bag a podium come Sunday. An impressive overtaking performance in Circuit de Barcelona Catalunya saw him gain 11 positions while running the soft tyre, an impressive feat. Another rider to look out for is Pedro Acosta, the remarkable rookie currently sitting at an impressive 6th in the championship.
Lastly, the final lap has always been the highlight of Mugello, with passes for the lead and podiums taking place all over the place in the final lap. Danilo Petrucci’s superb win came off a pass on the last lap on his teammate, Andrea Dovizioso, who fell to third in the last lap from the lead, losing out to Marc Marquez back in 2019. With Ducati winning 4 of the last 5 Mugello grand prix, three of them on the bounce thanks to Bagnaia, they will look to turn the hat trick into a quadrate, to help Pecco solidify his world championship charge.
Ducati’s Italian Tribute and Rider Dilemma
The Ducati factory team will run a special Blue livery on Sunday, paying homage to the Italian Sports team. They will run the Italian Sport Blue (Azzurra) on their bikes, suits as well as crew gear.
“The Nazionali Azzurre gives emotions to millions of Italians, and we feel we do the same during race weekends, representing our country on circuits around the world,” said Mauro Grasilli, Director of Marketing and Communications at Ducati.
Meanwhile, the dilemma for 2025 continues for Ducati. Jorge Martin currently leads the championship by 39 points over Francesco. Marc Marquez is two points off the current title in third and the wingman Bastianini in fourth. With Pecco having a contract, the second seat at Ducati is a major force of attraction. Although Enea has been a good rear gunner for Pecco, it seems like his time may come to an end if he does not step up. Jorge and Marc can definitely challenge Pecco even if in the same team.
Although Ducati has said that they will not make a decision in Mugello, this race will be a major factor in determining who gets the second ride at Ducati next year. The potential title fight for next year has the potential to start brewing right here in Mugello.
Weather Report
It is looking like it will rain on Monday and early mornings on Saturday, which may create chaos on Friday and the earlier sessions of Saturday. The rest of Saturday is looking sunny, while there is a slight chance of rain albeit, in the evening on Sunday.
Weekend Schedule
All the sessions are available to watch on Eurosport India and Jio Cinema in India. The detailed schedule and timings in IST can be found below.
