It’s that time of the year! Red Bull KTM Tech3 is looking forward to a new race week as the MotoGP™ championship is now on its way to the beautiful countryside of Tuscany in Italy for one of the season’s favorites, the Brembo Grand Prix of Italy taking place at the scenic Autodromo Internazionale del Mugello. Enea Bastianini will be looking forward to playing on home turf for the first time of the season and hopefully get the support from the home crowd. We will also have a hungry Maverick Viñales eager to jump back on his RC16 following an impressive Aragón Test just one week ago.
Grand Prix of Italy
Maverick Viñales took his KTM RC16 in the fight for the top positions in Aragón, even if the story ended with a crash while he was on his way to score big points. Nevertheless, the Spaniard delivered once again a strong weekend at the last round as he continued to showcase his adaptability to his machine, and he will be for sure looking forward to jump back on his bike after an excellent testing day at MotorLand which saw ‘Top Gun’ top the timesheets of the Aragón Test with a new all-time lap record set in the final minutes of the day. We should find out this week if Maverick and his team will apply all the learnings and transform them into further improvements, but we hope that all the work done will help him get that little extra he has been missing to get closer to the top guys. A 2nd position back in 2017 is his best result to date in the main class in Mugello, and the Red Bull KTM Tech3 ambassador will be aiming to take his RC16 amongst the top. Mugello is always special for an Italian, and it is with no doubt that it will be the case for Italian Enea Bastianini, who will probably enjoy a bit of support from Italian fans as he continues to go through a tough period. The number 23 found a few positives in the Aragón Test which should hopefully help him make small steps at the Autodromo, although the 5.245km layout will be challenging for the KTM. He was on the second step of the podium last season, so it will be a matter of finding his marks on this layout with a different machine, but we know ‘Bestia’ will fight through the adversity, and he will be boosted by the home crowd to hopefully get a much-needed good result.
Don’t miss a second of the Brembo Grand Prix of Italy as Red Bull KTM Tech3’s Maverick Viñales and Enea Bastianini will start their Italian campaign on Friday with Free Practice 1 at 10:45 local time (UTC+2) for forty-five minutes, which will be followed in the afternoon with Practice at 15:00, for an hour. Super Saturday in the hills will see the boys begin their day with Free Practice 2 at 10:10, followed immediately by the qualifying sessions at 10:50. In the afternoon, the Autodromo Internazionale del Mugello will host the ninth Tissot Sprint of the season, at 15:00. Finally, after ten minutes of warm up in the morning, Sunday will see the main race start at 14:00 local time. Let’s make some noise in Mugello!
MAVERICK VIÑALES: "I am excited to go to Mugello after such a positive weekend in Aragon and at the test. We found the improvements that we needed during the test, so I want to see if we can apply these into the race weekend in Italy. In Aragon, we understood that we could be at the level of the top guys, but it is going to be important for us to make the right strategies in qualifying, because our target is clearly to place our bike on the first row. I am feeling very positive, the bike is fast, I know that I can be fast, so we just need to put it all together, and hopefully we can have a strong weekend in Italy. Mugello is a very special layout, I am excited to see what awaits us there!"
ENEA BASTIANINI: "Mugello is always a special race weekend for me. Racing at home in front of Italian fans, my family and friends, at such a beautiful track, is something that I am really enjoying every year. In Aragon, we found some positives to improve the change of directions and the corner entries, which are two issues I have been constantly facing since the start of the season, so I am hoping that we will be able to feel a bit better this week. We are still struggling to feel fully confident with the new tires, but I want to be able to make some progress this week to improve the grid position. Let's be confident that the work done in the Aragon test will be fruitful for us, but anyway, I am excited to race in Italy!"
NICOLAS GOYON, Team Manager: "MotoGP carries on with the European tour with the next stop in Italy at the famous Mugello track. Its layout drawn in the Tuscan hills is considered by most riders as one of the best of the championship, and in addition, it will be one of the two home races of our Italian rider, Enea Bastianini. The last stop in Aragon was pretty intensive with a Monday test during which we mainly focused on aero, electronics, and other development parts. Some of them will be used in Italy and will help us understand whether our direction is good or not. Maverick Viñales was impressive in the test, finishing at the top of the timesheets, which shows his current good form, and we know he will aim for a top 5 finish on a track he really enjoys. The key will be once again qualifying, which we need to improve on, and this is why it was one of our focus points during the test. Enea Bastianini will also need to find something more in qualifying. Having been on the podium last season, we know that he is fast on this track. The Aragon test highlighted the set up area we need to improve on, so let's focus on it, and see if Enea can make a step forward during this Brembo Grand Prix of Italy."
ABOUT THE TRACK
Located 30km north-east of Florence in the beautiful countryside of Tuscany, Mugello is a modern circuit with excellent facilities. Bought by Ferrari back in 1988, the 5.245km track has been renovated to a high standard and has a growing reputation as one of the world’s most up-to-date, scenic and safest race circuits. A blend of slow and fast turns with sweeping curves, long straights and off-camber corners make Mugello one of the most challenging circuits for the riders and engineers. Having hosted its first MotoGP event back in 1976 the venue became a permanent fixture in 1991 after extensive refurbishment. Set within a beautiful tree lined Tuscan valley, Mugello also offers ample viewing areas for a particularly boisterous and partisan Italian crowd.
TRACK RECORDS
All Time Record: 2024 - J. Martin (SPA) - 1'44.504 - 180.6 km/h
Best Race Lap: 2024 - F. Bagnaia (ITA) - 1'45.770 - 178.5 km/h
Best Pole: 2024 - J. Martin (SPA) - 1'44.504 - 180.6 km/h
Top Speed: 2024 - P. Espargaro (SPA) - 366.1 km/h
