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• Formula 1 heads to Mugello this weekend for the Tuscan Grand Prix.
• It's the first time the circuit has hosted an F1 race.
• The GP is a momentous occasion for the sport's oldest team, Ferrari, who celebrates their 1000th GP.
The first-ever Tuscan Grand Prix takes place this Sunday as Mugello hosts a Formula 1 race for the for the first time.
Located in the wealthy northern region of Italy, the track is 35km outside of Florence. The 5.31km track is owned by Ferrari and was used by Charles Leclerc and Sebastian Vettel for testing prior to the start of the delayed season.
MotoGP fans will be familiar with the track. It hosted its first Italian MotoGP in 1976, and has been a permanent fixture since 1994.
The sport's organisers added Mugello to the calendar after several races were canceled this year. This weekend's race follows the Italian GP at Monza that saw a surprise win for Alphatauri driver Pierre Gasly.
The Mugello circuit features a long straight that makes way for a series of fast winding left and right-hand corners. Names to look out for include Casanova, Savelli and into Arrabbiata 1 and 2 that offers the drivers a rollercoaster ride.
It's an all-out attack on the senses for the drivers, pulling massive g-forces and some drivers won't even dip below fourth gear.
Title race
Lewis Hamilton holds a 47-point lead Mercedes teammate Valtteri Bottas heading into the Tuscan GP, with Red Bull's Max Verstappen in third place with 110 points.
It's unlikely we'll see a repeat of what happened in Monza last Sunday. The reality is that Hamilton was far faster than the rest of the field. Bottas and Verstappen struggled at the start of the race and got stuck a midfield battle that never opened up enough for them to pass.
The high-speed nature of Mugello should see the more powerful cars not struggle in traffic as much as they did in Monza.
1000th Ferrari race
The race coincides with Ferrari's 1000th Grand Prix and, in theory, it should be a memorable event, one that the team should savour. Instead, the team finds itself languishing in sixth place in the constructors' standings and winless after eight races.
This weekend at Mugello, a track owned by the team and just 120km from their Maranello headquarters, the sport's oldest team will seek to claw back some respect.
The onboard footage below is from Ferrari's testing period in their 2018 car in June ahead of the season-opening race in Austria.
The high-speed track with elevation changes will make it popular with the drivers. Unfortunately, there are no spectators allowed at the track. We'll just have to enjoy the action from the comfort of our couches.
