ITALIAN MAGIC?
Mugello has never hosted a grand prix before – but it’s not entirely unfamiliar ground for Formula 1 cars
We look at one of F1’s new venues, Mugello, and Imola’s temporary return to the fold
The story of Formula 1 and Mugello is one of a love that’s remained unconsummated for almost 50 years. Many times the two parties have touched each other, for tests or promotional activities, but the long-awaited marriage never arrived. Hope of a grand prix on the 5245 meters of undulating Tuscan asphalt remained exactly that – hope, seemingly destined to be unfulfilled.
Mugello has never wanted for other international sporting events: it was a crucible of Formula 2 and Formula 3000 back in the day, has hosted World Sportscar Championship, FIA GT and DTM rounds, and is a fixture on the Motogp calendar, but Formula 1 has remained almost a forbidden dream. Then, in a year in which the very
possibility of there being a Formula 1 world championship hung in the balance for many months, a miracle quickly took shape.
“We can do it,” insisted the circuit managers and, although this claim was received with all due scepticism by fans and F1 insiders, it has come to pass with a delightful additional frisson – the historic coincidence of Ferrari’s 1000th grand prix. For Italian enthusiasts who have been waiting for a race here for decades, there will be no opportunity to watch from the grandstands, but it doesn’t matter: the Tuscan Grand Prix is now a reality.
When you speak to drivers who’ve had the opportunity to run at Mugello, you begin to understand how the physical challenge ramps up sharply relative to a car’s performance levels. The faster the car, the more Mugello becomes “tough” – a word that crops up very often.
“Driving from the Casanova-savelli section to the Arrabbiata 2 corner, you’re barely able to breathe,” says Robert Kubica. “The speed is very high, the elevation change is remarkable. It’s an exciting and very technical track, with a high average speed, and the difficulty level increases progressively with the speed.”
While the predominantly fast and flowing nature of Mugello requires finesse, it’s the physical demands that have been the focus of attention ahead of the circuit’s maiden Formula 1 race. That’s because the high downforce levels of the current F1 cars mean sections where one would normally brake or downshift in lesser machinery will be taken flat out, or perhaps with a brief feathering of the throttle. Drivers can expect to feel loadings of around 5G on their necks
– a level they may experience as a peak at other circuits but which will be constant for several seconds at Mugello.
In 2000 a very young Kimi Räikkönen, at that time racing in Formula Renault 2.0, was invited to Mugello by Peter Sauber, who was looking for a replacement for Mika Salo. At that time Räikkönen was unknown, and the Sauber call-up caused quite a stir. Kimi immediately proved to be on the pace in terms of lap time, but on the afternoon of the first day of testing he abruptly pulled into the pitlane and said: “Today it’s better to stop here, because otherwise I won’t be able to drive tomorrow.”
Sauber was struck by how a driver with so little experience of car racing could take such a big-picture view of the test as a whole. It was this clear indication of maturity and professionalism, along with the impressive turn of speed, which influenced Sauber to sign him up for the 2001 F1 season.
The majority of Formula 1 testing at Mugello has been completed in private by Ferrari, which has owned the circuit since 1988. While the layout of the track remains unchanged since it was built in the early 1970s, Ferrari has improved the infrastructure and maintained the track surface to FIA Grade 1 standards.
Restrictions on testing in recent years means the circuit hasn’t seen much F1 action, though in 2012 it was chosen as the only in-season test
“IT’S THE PHYSICAL DEMANDS THAT HAVE BEEN THE FOCUS OF ATTENTION AHEAD OF THE CIRCUIT’S MAIDEN FORMULA 1 RACE”
venue. For many drivers it was their first time at Mugello, and at the end of the three days the majority were enthusiastic about it.
“In terms of satisfaction,” said Mark Webber, “10 dry laps at Mugello are worth as much as 1000 in Abu Dhabi!”
“This track is incredible,” said Sebastian Vettel. “I’m absolutely thrilled. I’d never driven it before, and I didn’t expect such a thing.”
The only negative opinion back in 2012 was voiced by Caterham driver Vitaly Petrov. “I don’t think we should have come here,” was his verdict. “It’s not safe and wide enough and if you lose your car, the barriers are so close that you hit the tyres.”
Mugello is certainly a track to be taken seriously, and not to be trifled with, for it’s an ‘old school’ circuit without vast expanses of asphalt runoffs. Make a mistake here and you must hope to be arrested by the gravel, because the barriers lurk beyond. And even if you don’t go off the track, you will still pay a high price for every mistake, because the flowing nature of the layout means each small loss of momentum saps speed further down the line.
“I’m sure there will be some drivers who will say the track is too narrow,” says Kubica, “forgetting that we also race in Monaco. But at the same time I’m sure there will be others who, at the end of the weekend, will put Mugello among the top tracks, if not the absolute top. I’m ready to bet on it.”