This area of Tuscany had a long racing history before the modern Autodromo Internazionale del Mugello was opened in 1974. The Mille Miglia passed through here on open roads that included the famed Futa Pass, and these roads were also used for the 41.135-mile Circuit of Mugello, a sports car race that was held from 1920 to 1969. Five years after Arturo Merzario won the final such event, a modern circuit was built in a valley near Barberino di Mugello at the southwestern end of the course. Mugello is a spectacular Formula 1 standard facility that originally attracted both the European Formula 2 and World Sportscar Championships. Ferrari acquired the circuit in 1988 but the opportunity to hold international car racing events diminished over the coming decades. Instead, MotoGP took centre stage at Mugello, with the challenging venue holding the Italian Grand Prix for motorcycles since 1992. With F1 forced to hastily rearrange its 2020 calendar due to the coronavirus pandemic, Mugello was chosen as the venue for the inaugural Tuscan Grand Prix, which was also Ferrari’s 1000th GP appearance.
