Fabio Quartararo (Monster Energy Yamaha, left in the picture) and his compatriot Johann Zarco (Pramac Ducati) in a celebratory mood after their second MotoGP podium together – the two can also be trusted a lot at the Italian Grand Prix on 30 May.

New for many riders on their current bikes – Mugello

When compiling the statistics before the race, we noticed how few riders, especially in the premier class, were riding their current bikes there. Even some of the more experienced of them have never seen the chequered flag in MotoGP. In addition to the rookies, Binder, Lecuona and Alex Marquez will be competing there for the first time. In addition to the 2019 winner Danilo Petrucci, Zarco and Pol Espargaró have never ridden new bikes on the beautifully located route near the town of Scarperia e San Piero. The Frenchman made it into the top ten twice on the customer Yamaha and Alex Rins, somewhat surprisingly, had the best points average, albeit in only two Grand Prix, which he contested in the premier class there.

Jack Miller’s record in Mugello is shocking, but Aleix Espargaró, Valentino Rossi and Marc Marquez also have anything but good memories of the last 5 races. According to the current forecast for the race weekend, the temperatures should be roughly in the range of the last two events. The probability of precipitation is low and currently only affects the first two days.
After the cancellation in the first year of the corona pandemic, MotoGP is returning and ahead of Jorge Lorenzo and “Quick Mick” Doohan (both 6), Valentino is still the most successful rider in the premier class with 7 wins. This won once before in the 250cc and 125cc class.
Danilo Petrucci (Ducati) photographed by us on the factory Ducati in Mugello in 2019, he had his finest hour of the season in the race and won his home MotoGP race just ahead of Marc Marquez (Honda).

Autodromo Internazionale di Mugello

The circuit is owned by Ferrari and, as soon as this is allowed again, it will offer visitors a great overview from almost everywhere. Due to the high prices since the Rossi era, the natural grandstands are recommended, also because you have at least as good an overview there as on the completely overpriced seats. With a length of 5,245 kilometres, the route is one of the longest on the MotoGP calendar. Only Silverstone, Sepang, Austin, Brno and Losail are longer than Mugello. With 6 left and 9 right turns and a width of 14 meters, the Autodromo Internazionale del Mugello is a very fast racetrack. Due to the 1.141 km long start-finish straight, impressive top speeds are measured in MotoGP. The speed record set by Andrea Dovizioso with his factory Ducati in 2019 is a massive 356.7 km / h. The absolute lap record is held by Marc Marquez (Repsol Honda) and 1: 45.519 minutes as of 2019.

The grandstand and route map of the Autodromo Internazionale di Mugello with the start-finish in the centre of the picture and the only covered grandstand in green, which is why sunscreen is definitely recommended if you want to sit there for hours. Otherwise, burns are inevitable.
Photographed by us at the Mugello Grand Prix in early June 2019 – the most expensive event of the season in terms of the entry prices for an average entry ticket for 3 days. On the other hand, the toilets, along with Brno, were by far the dirtiest and everywhere there was chaos, dirt and noise.

Valentino Rossi and its impact on visitor numbers
When he moved to Ducati in 2011, he achieved a single podium in his first year. The following year, the Mugello GP recorded a drastic drop of around a third in visitor numbers compared to the previous year. After the darling of the masses travelled to the Mugello GP as World Cup leader in 2015, the number of spectators increased significantly. From 111,309 to 139,452 there was a significant increase in the cumulative number of visitors for the three days of the MotoGP weekend. It is impossible to even begin to imagine what will happen after the audience’s favourite resigns. We strongly advise against walking around with a red T-shirt with the number 93, which is also not recommended for Misano. This also applies to fan stickers on cars or bikes. Since Sepang 2015, many Italians in particular have been reacting somewhat irritably to Marc Marquez and his supporters, as we heard several times on site.

Admission prices 2019 – Mugello the most expensive GP in comparison

We have deliberately included WorldSBK in these statistics, because this also clearly illustrates how exaggerated the prices of MotoGP are in comparison, especially for Italy and Brno. The figures are listed for 3 days with standing tickets and additional costs such as parking, which is even offered free of charge at many events.
When it comes to the average price for best-seat grandstand tickets, Mugello, together with Brno, came out on top of all the organizers. Here are the numbers for 2020, as far as announced before many events were cancelled.

World Championship stand in all classes before the 6th round at Mugello

Lorenzo Dalla Porta’s number of points is in red because the Italian’s 5 points with 11th place were withdrawn due to his disqualification due to falling below the minimum total weight by 1 kg in the evening after the race.

The favourites for the first Italian GP

On paper, Petrux, Marc Marquez, Maverick Viñales and Valentino Rossi should be favoured as the most successful drivers of the last 3 to 4 years. Conversely, the double winner of the last two rounds with Jack Miller is the absolute underdog from this look. With just one point in 5 races, his Mugello record can hardly be worse. But the Australian is definitely confident and at an all-time high right now. Conversely, the two mentioned Yamaha riders and the Repsol Honda man have little positive news from the last few laps in their luggage.

Mugello photographed by us during a leisurely break on the Saturday before the 2018 Italian GP. In the background in blue the Materassi grandstand and in the front left in red the place for the “Ducatisti”. Of course, for the fifth time in a row, a race with spectators is out of the question.

The underdogs: Petrux, Miller and Pecco
It looks quite different for Danilo Petrucci, but many doubts whether he can be really strong on the Tech 3 KTM on his home track. Pecco Bagnaia did not see the checkered flag on the Ducati in 2019, but of course he is just as likely as Jack Miller and especially Johann Zarco. We believe that especially Takaaki Nakagami, the two Suzukis and the Monster Energy Yamaha’s can be expected. The weather forecast does not look so good at the moment, and it should only stay mostly dry on the Grand Prix weekend until Saturday, provided the last forecasts are correct. On Sunday, however, according to the forecast from Monday evening, only 13 degrees Celsius, clouds and possibly even rain are announced.

Mugello Grand Prix schedule

Unless otherwise stated, this applies to all images (© MotoGP).