Italian GP to Mugello or Imola for 2025? (2nd Update)

Mugello

UPDATE (GMM) There is a "good chance" Mugello will eventually take over as host of the Italian GP.

That is the claim of Eugenio Giani, who is president of Tuscany's regional council.

In May, it was announced that a new five-year deal with existing race host Monza had been agreed by Liberty Media.

The deal means F1 will stay at Monza until 2024, with reports suggesting the race organizers had succeeded in negotiating a lower annual race fee.

But Giani says there is "a good chance" that Mugello will take over from 2025.

"Ferrari owns this circuit and will have to make many investments to have a grand prix there," he told La Gazzetta dello Sport.

"But it is also true that we still don't know if Monza will be able to redevelop its circuit in those five years to adapt it to the needs of the following five years," Giani added.

He concluded that Mugello is a "strong candidate and a valid alternative" to Monza.

Imola

09/11/19 (GMM) Imola has followed in the footsteps of fellow Italian circuit Mugello in saying it too wants to host a Formula 1 race.

Monza recently secured a new five-year deal to host the Italian GP until at least 2024.

"In five years, we will think about applying to bring Formula 1 to Tuscany," Ferrari-owned Mugello's director Paolo Poli said this week.

And now, Imola boss Uberto Selvatico Estense says the track east of Bologna has similar ambitions.

"The great work by Aci president Angelo Sticchi Damiani in keeping Formula 1 in Italy could reopen the possibility of the circus coming back to Imola," he is quoted by Italy's Autosprint.

"To achieve such a result, it is essential to have the full support of regional and metropolitan institutions, as is happening in Monza and Mugello," he added.

Mugello Director Paolo Poli

09/10/19 (GMM) Mugello has thrown its hat into the ring as a future venue for the Italian GP.

The track in Tuscany, which is owned by Ferrari, is eyeing a spot on the F1 calendar for when Monza's newly-inked contract expires in 2024.

"The first objective will be to renew the agreement with MotoGP," Mugello director Paolo Poli told Corriere dello Sport.

"But then in five years we will also think about applying to bring Formula 1 to Tuscany."

Poli said Mugello continues to enjoy the full backing of its owner, Ferrari.

"Unlike other Italian circuits, Mugello is not state run," he said. "From 2006 to 2016, Ferrari made huge investments to raise the infrastructure quality.

"The bar is constantly rising and we are ready to keep that pace."