Ferrari's golden-era F1 cars, 16 legendary drivers and 18 races!
Fans turned out in force this weekend for the first edition of the Gran Premio Storico d’Italia. At Mugello, 16 renowned drivers brought the Scuderia’s golden age back to life, as the sound of V10 engines once again echoed across Tuscany. On track, nearly 200 historic racing cars competed in 18 races, some decided by just a few thousandths of a second.
Gran Premio Storico d’Italia - Golden Age
Paolo Poli (Mugello Circuit), Geronimo La Russa (Automobile Club of Italy), Antonello Coletta (Ferrari Endurance and Corse Clienti), Laurent Vallery-Masson (HVM Racing)
Credit :Alexandre Montesinos
A RED-LETTER DEBUT AT MUGELLO
The inaugural Gran Premio Storico d’Italia made a strong impression. Organised from 2 to 4 October by HVM Racing on the Mugello Circuit, in collaboration with Ferrari Corse Clienti and under the auspices of the Automobile Club d’Italia, the event proved a resounding success with fans throughout the weekend. HVM Racing brought to Italy the formula behind the success of the KENNOL Grand Prix de France Historique: a carefully balanced blend of Formula 1 demonstrations featuring legendary drivers and competitive racing contested by historic motorsport specialists.
There was no doubting the weekend’s headline act. At Mugello, for years the Scuderia’s favourite proving ground, the “Scuderia Ferrari – Golden Age: 1996-2006” exhibition paid homage to the most successful decade in Ferrari’s Formula 1 history: 5 drivers’ titles, 6 constructors’ crowns and 87 Grand Prix wins. But these cars were never meant to stay parked in the paddock.
On both Saturday and Sunday, they were unleashed on track by drivers with genuine Ferrari pedigree: René Arnoux (1995 412 T2), Eddie Irvine (F399), Nicola Larini (F1-2000), Stefan Johansson (F2001), Mika Salo (F2002), Giancarlo Fisichella (F2003-GA), Andrea Bertolini (F2004), Antonio Giovinazzi (F2005) and Luca Badoer (248 F1), with Gerhard Berger joining them on Sunday at the wheel of the F2004. From the opening laps, the howl of the V10s, bookended by the V12 of the 412 T2 and the V8 of the 248 F1, filled the valley, ricocheting from grandstand to grandstand and on into the Tuscan hills. This was the soundtrack of a magical era, when Michael Schumacher and the Scuderia swept all before them, and a sound Formula 1 has not heard since the mid-2000s. For younger fans, a revelation; for everyone else, a deeply emotional reunion.
Once their laps were done, the red cars were brought together on the grid for a family photo, with drivers and officials gathered around them in a moment of shared celebration and everyone invited to give their impressions. The emotion was there for all to see, and it began with the challenge of getting reacquainted with cars this light and this twitchy, with razor-sharp steering and staggering power. Nicola Larini climbed out dazzled: “The throttle just never ran out ! Getting back into a car with that kind of power after 30 years gets to you. Even though we only did a few laps, I could floor it. It’s huge.” Eddie Irvine, true to form, saw the funny side: “The car is very nervous, and so am I!”
Mugello stirred plenty of memories too. On a circuit that Giancarlo Fisichella and Stefan Johansson both rank among the finest in the world, many of them had piled up the testing miles back in the day. A visibly moved Luca Badoer was back on the track he had “worn out”, while Mika Salo fondly recalled the long days of testing that guaranteed a good night’s sleep. Above all, every one of them paid tribute to the passion of the tifosi, out in force. “To come back as a Ferrari driver to the Italian fans always feels great,” said Gerhard Berger. “And this show reminds everybody of the great champion Michael Schumacher.” A sign of their enduring bond with Maranello, several former Scuderia drivers who are not Italian chose to speak in Italian. On Sunday, René Arnoux took the microphone and addressed the crowd in Italian, dedicating his passion to the tifosi, without whom, he reminded them, drivers and teams would not even exist.
They were joined by more former Grand Prix drivers: Philippe Alliot, Mauro Baldi, Thierry Boutsen, Pierluigi Martini, Riccardo Patrese and Emanuele Pirro. Between them, a formidable CV: Riccardo Patrese held the record for Grand Prix starts for many years, while Philippe Alliot, Mauro Baldi, Pierluigi Martini and Emanuele Pirro are all outright Le Mans winners, as are Stefan Johansson and Antonio Giovinazzi. Little wonder that Pierre Fillon, President of the Automobile Club de l’Ouest, made the trip, hailing “a superb grid”.
SHOW ON TRACK
The racing more than matched the spectacle. Nearly 200 cars spread across 8 grids contested 18 races, with drivers from 18 nations at the wheel of everything from Formula Junior and Formula 1 single-seaters to sports prototypes and GTs. Almost 90 years of motor racing history were on show, from Josef Otto Rettenmaier’s 1934 Maserati 8CM to Karl Pedraza’s 2023 Ligier JS P320.
Historic Grand Prix Car Association (HGPCA)
Pre-1966 F1
Miles Griffiths (Lotus 16) completed a clean sweep in the front-engined class, beating Mark Shaw’s Scarab-Offenhauser on both occasions. The rear-engined races were shared between the Cooper T53s of Tom Waterfield and Will Nuthall, the latter edging Sunday’s encounter by just 0.060s. The Prancing Horse made its presence felt too: Richard Wilson took his 1960 Ferrari 246 Dino onto the podium in front-engined race 2, while Joe Colasacco set the fastest lap of rear-engined race 1 in the 1965 Ferrari 1512.
Masters Racing Legends
F1 from 1966 to 1985
Werner d’Ansembourg (1980 Williams FW07C) was in a class of his own, claiming both wins and both fastest laps, with Steve Brooks’ Lotus 91 runner-up each time. Joe Macari (Tyrrell 012) and James Hagan (Tyrrell 011B) completed the respective podiums.
BOSS GP
F1, IndyCar, World Series 3.5 from 1990 to 2020
Mattia Pasini (Dallara GP2/11) did the double. Fastest lap of the weekend went to Ingo Gerstl, who lapped at an average of 208 km/h in a 2006 Toro Rosso STR1, a contemporary of the last golden-era Ferraris.
Master Endurance Legends 1 & 2
Prototypes and GT cars from 1995 to 2019
Keith Frieser (Zytek 09) also did the double, heading the Ferrer-Aza/Muller Dallara-Corvette home in both races.
F2 Classic Interseries
F2 from 1967 to 1978
The man behind the event led from the front on Saturday: Laurent Vallery-Masson won race 1 in his March 77B, holding off Mark Dwyer by 0.446s, with Gianluigi Candiani just 0.631s adrift. Matthew Wrigley (March 782) took Sunday’s race.
F3 Classic Interseries
F3 from 1971 to 1984
Sunday produced the closest finish of the weekend, Frédéric Lajoux (March 793) taking the win by just 0.014s from Eric Martin (Martini MK39), with the top 3 separated by 0.441s. Lajoux inherited victory after Alexander Weiss (Ralt RT3), winner of race 1 and first past the chequered flag, was disqualified.
Historic F3 1000cc & F. Ford
F. Ford and F3 from 1964 to 1970
Saturday winner François Belle (Lola T540E) was pipped on Sunday by Austin Widmer (Brabham BT21), by just 0.065s, with the top 3 crossing the line within a second of each other.
Historic Formula Junior : Lurani Trophy
F. Junior from 1958 to 1963
The biggest grid of the weekend, 44 cars strong, saw Lotus drivers Patrick d’Aubreby and Andrew Hibberd finish 1-2 in both races, the Briton turning the tables on Sunday.
THE WEEKEND IN NUMBERS
18 races across 8 grids
Nearly 200 cars on track, with drivers from 18 nations
4 doubles: Miles Griffiths, Werner d’Ansembourg, Keith Frieser and Mattia Pasini
0.014s the closest finish of the weekend, Frédéric Lajoux from Eric Martin (F3 Classic, race 2)
208 km/h average speed of the weekend’s fastest lap, set by Ingo Gerstl (Toro Rosso STR1, BOSS GP)
STATEMENTS
Laurent Vallery-Masson (CEO HVM Racing / Event Promoter and Organiser):
“This first edition of the Gran Premio Storico d’Italia will remain a memorable milestone for HVM Racing. The tremendous enthusiasm of the fans at Mugello is deeply rewarding and a testament to the event’s success. For three days, we enjoyed a true celebration of motorsport, brought to life by exceptional cars, renowned drivers and, above all, the passion of the fans.
I would like to sincerely thank the Ferrari Corse Clienti teams for their trust and commitment, and especially Antonello Coletta, whose support was instrumental in making this inaugural edition a success. My thanks also go to everyone at Mugello Circuit for their warm welcome, professionalism and dedication throughout the preparations and the event itself. Finally, I would like to extend my warmest thanks to our main partners: KENNOL, Baume & Mercier, Stand 21, Dodici Cilindri and CoverCar for their trust and invaluable support on this journey.
This first edition has laid an exceptionally strong foundation and already inspires great ambitions for the future.”
Antonello Coletta (Global Head of Endurance and Corse Clienti at Ferrari):
“We are extremely pleased with the success of the event, which perhaps exceeded even our expectations. Seeing the grandstands full and feeling such passion confirms just how important it is to organise events like this. It was a privilege to bring back to the track the cars that defined Ferrari’s golden era in Formula 1 and, above all, to celebrate Michael Schumacher. I would like to thank all the former drivers who accepted our invitation and made themselves available to the public, signing autographs and sharing this special day with the fans. Finally, my thanks go to everyone who turned out in such great numbers. This is the kind of enthusiasm we would love to see at every circuit in Italy.”
Paolo Poli (CEO & Managing Director Mugello Circuit S.p.A):
“The first edition of the Gran Premio Storico d’Italia was a great success. Fans turned out in large numbers, and it was immensely rewarding to see the main grandstand so packed. A weekend celebrating the passion for the Prancing Horse and the iconic cars that have shaped motorsport history. We are confident this will be the first of many.”
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