F1 cars will take Mugello’s Arrabbiata corners “completely flat-out”

2020 Tuscan Grand Prix

9th September 2020, 13:21 | Written by Keith Collantine and Dieter Rencken

Formula 1 cars will be able to take Mugello’s famous Arrabbiata corners flat-out, Mercedes’ simulation of the track indicates.

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The series will race at the Tuscan circuit for the first time this weekend. The pair of right-handers known as Arrabbiata one and Arrabbiata two – turns eight and nine – are among the quickest corners on the track, which features more medium-to-high speed corners than typical F1 venues.

“It’s an incredible track,” said Mercedes simulator driver Esteban Gutierrez in a video released by the team.

“You have very high-speed chicanes, basically, most of them. Some of them are faster than others. You have to be very precise on the lines, entries to really get the car well-settled.”

The Arrabbiata corners are “completely flat out”, said Gutierrez. “We get into Arrabbiata one and Arrabbiata two basically completely flat-out. So you can imagine the amount of G-forces the cars are going to be generating through those corners, it’s going to be just incredible.”

Mercedes team principal Toto Wolff knows the circuit from his time as a racing driver. He expects they will have to make a trade-off between the downforce required for the many quick corners and the need to be quick down the long straight leading into the slowest corner San Donato, turn one.

“I haven’t seen the set-up and downforce projections, the only thing I know is by having raced there, that there is a very, very long, straight, but also lots of corners where you need the downforce,” said Wolff.

“So it would be interesting to see that our modern Formula 1 car goes through Arrabbiatas and how that will be.”

Mugello track map

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Keith Collantine

Lifelong motor sport fan Keith set up RaceFans in 2005 - when it was originally called F1 Fanatic. Having previously worked as a motoring...
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Dieter Rencken

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33 comments on “F1 cars will take Mugello’s Arrabbiata corners “completely flat-out””

Christopher Rehn (@chrischrill)
9th September 2020, 13:26
At the very least, laps in quali will be utterly spectacular. The race itself may not be great, the track might not lend itself well to modern F1. Still, really excited to see a “new” track like this.
1. Chaitanya
  9th September 2020, 13:34
  We might have drivers pushing too much and ending up in gravel traps for the race which might bring out SC mixing up the finishing positions what otherwise is a snoozefest. Wondering if track limits will rear their head this weekend.
  1. Jere (@jerejj)
    9th September 2020, 13:42
    @Chaitanya Track limits shouldn’t be a problem as there’s only gravel and grass on the edge of the track at corner-exits.
Neel Jani (@neelv27)
9th September 2020, 13:39
I reckon the race will see very less overtaking considering how difficult it was for the cars to follow each other even on mostly long straights of Monza. The high speed roller coaster of Mugello will pretty much eliminate close combat.
1. Neel Jani (@neelv27)
  9th September 2020, 13:40
  But, I plan to watch the full sessions only to see the F1 cars through a classic track which we might not see again. Worth a treat!
2. black (@black)
  9th September 2020, 14:39
  @neelv27
  The thing about Monza is that all the cars already have a very low-downforce low-drag setup there because it’s optimal around there. So when the DRS is activated it makes the car behind only a bit less draggy than it already was, the slipstreaming does most of the work. That’s why Monza isn’t that notorious about overtaking.
  But when the cars have a high-downforce setup and therefore more-drag, DRS gives them a much bigger boost. So if the teams bring their highest downforce setups for Mugello (judging from the looks of it) then the DRS will be much more powerfull on the main straight and it’ll create a bigger speed differencial. The only problem looks like it would be a bit hard to follow, but given it’s a unknown circuit with presumably quite high tyre degradation, i think teams & Pirelli might be caught off guard and we’ll have some strategic variation.
  1. Neel Jani (@neelv27)
    10th September 2020, 6:17
    That’s a good point @black
  2. bosyber (@bosyber)
    10th September 2020, 8:28
    Good point @black, though from what Gutierrez says maybe they will try a more Spa like setup instead at several teams. Certainly Ferrari will have to, I suppose, and maybe Williams too if they both are pretty draggy – sure, only back of the midfield teams, but still part of where the on-track fight might be the best ;-)
Jere (@jerejj)
9th September 2020, 13:41
I’ve driven this track a few times on Assetto Corsa and like how flowing the lap is, although there’s only place for a single DRS zone as the S/F straight is the only decent-length straight on this circuit.
1. Chaitanya
  9th September 2020, 14:44
  There indeed is just one DRS zone along start-finish straight.
Gubstar
9th September 2020, 13:44
Stunning track. Stunning location. Quali should be great, unless it rains the race probably wont be though, unless we get a slice of the unpredictable like last weekend. One plus is LOOK AT THOSE BEAUTIFUL GRAVEL TRAPS!! Not a bit of excess tarmac in sight….. mama mia!!
1. John H (@john-h)
  9th September 2020, 15:52
  Sun forecast unfortunately, slight chance of rain only on the Friday.
  I don’t care about DRS, overtaking, etc. Just be nice to see a race on a different type of circuit. It’s going to be a good one despite what people think.
2. bosyber (@bosyber)
  10th September 2020, 8:31
  I’m hoping for lots of zoomed out helicopter shots so we can see the flowing nature of the track, that and the cars maneuvering it during quali and the race, coupled to the novelty value, will likely be the best bit about the weekend @john-h and Gubstar, @stefmeister
  Maybe some of the same Spa choice of full DF vs. being able to overtake/defend on the DRS straight will give some variety between teams as well (provided they can keep close enough through the rest of the lap, but perhaps at the start at least).
Colonel_Blimp
9th September 2020, 13:46
I seem to remember on the laser scanned AC track, there is an annoying bump on the inside of turn 8 which can unsettle the car. Wonder if it’s still there?
More than one way to take the last corner as well as i recall, could be interesting.
StefMeister (@stefmeister)
9th September 2020, 13:50
I think like many I don’t expect it to be the most action packed race in terms of close racing or overtaking as I don’t think the nature of the layout allows for that & certainly most of the races I have seen at Mugello involving cars have been reletively uneventful.
However the spectacle of watching modern F1 cars lapping Mugello is something i’m really looking forward to.
Zann (@zann)
9th September 2020, 13:52
It looks exactly like a circuit designed by Mercedes!
Adam (@rocketpanda)
9th September 2020, 13:53
Spicy.
DonSmee (@david-beau)
9th September 2020, 14:21
Definitely a roller coaster of a track. Got motion sickness playing it last night. Maybe because I havent played racing games in a while.
David BR (@david-br)
9th September 2020, 14:21
Can’t wait. High speed flowing racing in Tuscany. I mean, who doesn’t want that?!
Bullfrog (@bullfrog)
9th September 2020, 14:53
The Mercedes may be flat out, but how many of the others will?
1. Zann (@zann)
  9th September 2020, 15:23
  Yes @bullfrog they’ll have to give up some more top speed won’t they, probably. Especially with tyre wear, which should be huge on this track even with C1-3’s. The forecast is for 32 degrees and full sun, so all these curves are going to eat tyres alive, which might give us some good racing. After a few laps probably even the Mercs and Red Bulls won’t be flat, and then the undercut/overcut will be powerful.
2. GT Racer (@gt-racer)
  9th September 2020, 16:53
  @bullfrog I think they should all be flat. A car from 10 years ago on demo tires in a bit of turbulent air was almost flat through turns 6/7/8/9.
  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=swri9wpfVYk
  Even the worst of todays cars have way more downforce than a 10 year old Ferrari & the actual race tires also have way more grip than the demo tires so i’d think they should all be fairly easily flat in qualifying. High fuel & tires with a dozen laps on them & I think they will also be lifting a bit, To manage the tires if nothing else.
H67
9th September 2020, 15:09
Could we witness what F1cars can do unlike anything we’ve seen before. The power of this current generation of Racecar should be fascinating at this track. Too bad these amazing machines will have to race on The Pirelli candy colored tires AGAIN. 2020 will be remembered for three things. COVID19, Lewis Hamilton and Pirelli Tires. One is a great story, one is the Horrific Covid pandemic and lastly some pretty lousy Racecar tires race after race after race
Two of these three items were totally predictable. Do we know yet what tires the 2022 nextgen Grand Prix car?? Here’s a plausible idea, let’s give Pirelli another chance. NOT
bob (@riptide)
9th September 2020, 15:16
Plenty of blind corners for those who dawdle on the racing line to cause serious damage to others during practice and the race. I wonder if the bump in the braking zone on the long straight has had the grinder on it?
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=alPgCeBkWY0&ab_channel=husa500
John H (@john-h)
9th September 2020, 16:11
Get set for the shear graining that Merc suffered at Silverstone. This is not going to be plain sailing for them.
Kevin C (@kev-f1)
9th September 2020, 16:12
would have been better if the article photo was the same orientation as the track layout!!
https://earth.google.com/web/search/mugello/@43.99993497,11.37187355,270.2782011a,1861.1782873d,35y,268.98462883h,0t,0r/data=CnIaSBJCCiUweDEzMmIxY2RlZGFhNmU3YmI6MHg2MzkzYzA5Mjg4MWJiYjM3GU5y0dp-_0VAIePyxBj9vSZAKgdtdWdlbGxvGAIgASImCiQJMX2FGDUDNUARLn2FGDUDNcAZdg1q5EUZPEAhTZ4QIHSzUsA
1. SaMa (@f1g33k)
  9th September 2020, 16:58
  The article is about the Arrabbiata corners which are the closest in the photo and hence I think it is apt. I would say even your orientation is not very intuitive as perhaps having the top-view aligned with the pit straight would provide the best idea of the flow.
elchinero (@elchinero)
9th September 2020, 17:12
“Penne Allarrabbiata” Recipe
https://cooking.nytimes.com/recipes/1015236-penne-allarrabbiata
1. DaveW (@dmw)
  9th September 2020, 17:39
  Spicy. Like those corners.
apollo16RS (@apollo16rs)
9th September 2020, 18:37
“Mercedes’ simulation of the track indicates.”
Part of the problem with modern F1, IMHO. When the race on Sunday is, often times–barring something highly unsuspected and unlikely, the result of some mathematical equation, that is… uhh, well, not good.
I get it, this is maybe a little different, but I hate that they can know so much before even going round for a lap. Monza was especially exciting because so much was unexpected.
They should just have cloth sacks put over their heads while driven to the circuit, then, “surprise!” Good luck!
Dani B. Molina (@esmiz)
9th September 2020, 22:17
I see grass and I see gravel, but I don’t see tarmac runoffs. I think we are going to be surprised and it’s going to be a great race. Maybe not very much overtaking, but overtaking is not all.
David Bondo
10th September 2020, 4:35
Seems very dangerous for F1 cars especially with the grass and gravel run offs.
I wouldn’t want to see a car get upside down.
Very fast corners it will be.
If they are willing to race at Mugello I wonder if they would be willing to race at Phillip Island rather than Albert Park next year.
Rhys Lloyd (@justrhysism)
10th September 2020, 12:00
Thanks for the track layout @keithcollantine!