Three-time Formula 1 World Champion Max Verstappen has recently sung the praises of the Italian Mugello circuit when asked where he’d like the series to go next.
In a recent appearance on the official Red Bull Racing podcast Talking Bull, Verstappen was prompted to give his preferred selection for an additional race on the F1 roster.
The Dutchman opted to select the Italian Mugello circuit – widely known for its consistent place on the MotoGP calendar.
Based in Tuscany, the Mugello circuit is approximately 5.2 km long and features a sequence of fast-sweeping curves, 15 in total and a 1.1 km start/finish straight with natural relief built into the track leading to multiple elevation changes.
“For me, Mugello stands out because of the track layout,” said Verstappen. “There are so many fast corners, and in an F1 car, it’s so nice.”
Mugello was featured on the F1 calendar once before, during the COVID-19 pandemic-affected season in 2020.
The 2020 season saw a number of European circuits added to the F1 calendar in a temporary capacity, with popular venues such as the Nürburgring and Istanbul circuits making a welcome return to the sport, along with new additions such as Portimão.
The Italian Mugello circuit, owned by Ferrari, played host to the 2020 Tuscan Grand Prix and the Italian marque’s 1000th Formula 1 race.
Whilst Verstappen remembers the venue fondly, his weekend didn’t go according to plan, with the spoils instead going to his former title rival Lewis Hamilton.
Mercedes’ Hamilton claimed pole position and the grand prix victory, beating out team-mate Valtteri Bottas and then Red Bull driver Alex Albon, who took his first F1 podium.
The British driver’s pole time of 1:15.144s was almost thirty seconds quicker than Francesco Bagnaia’s MotoGP pole time of 1:44.855s in 2023.
Verstappen meanwhile, lined up third on the grid for the 2020 Tuscan GP, but it ended after just two corners.
The now 53-time F1 race winner was the unfortunate victim of a multi-car incident which saw him hit in the rear and spun into the gravel trap.
The race is also unfortunately remembered for a multi-car incident during the resulting Safety Car restart at the end of the sixth tour of the circuit.
Should Verstappen get his wish – albeit sadly an unlikely occurrence – Mugello would join Imola and Monza as a third Italian venue on the F1 calendar, just as it did in 2020.
That privilege is currently held by the United States of America, which played host to rounds in Miami, Austin and Las Vegas over the most recent season.
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