The MotoGP World Championship comes to life with its seventh round, one of the most awaited by Italian fans. This weekend, in fact, we are racing at Mugello for the Italian Grand Prix, an event eagerly awaited by all our drivers.
Above all Pecco Bagnaia, who won the last two editions of the Italian race, also adding last year’s Sprint. After the great success obtained in Barcelona, dispelling what seemed like a real macumba on the Catalan track, the Ducati rider couldn’t ask for anything better to try to give continuity to his results and reduce the 39 points that separate him from leader Jorge Martin .
Last year, the Madrilenian closed the weekend in Tuscany with a double podium and this year his main weapon seems to be consistency in performance, even though he has already won two Grand Prix and three Sprints. It will be a fundamental weekend for him, given that Ducati should announce the name of Pecco Bagnaia’s future teammate right after Mugello.
Competing for the second Red Desmosedici GP with him will be Marc Marquez, who between Jerez and Barcelona has just come from five consecutive podiums and now seems to have reached such a feeling with his Gresini Racing GP23 that the time seems to be ripe for his first victory branded Ducati.
Among other things, there is a curiosity: if he were to succeed at Mugello, it would be the 93rd victory in MotoGP for the Borgo Panigale manufacturer and this would follow a tradition whereby Casey Stoner had obtained the 27th, the 63rd ° Pecco Bagnaia, 72nd Marco Bezzecchi and 89th Jorge Martin, exactly like the number they bring on the table.
Usually the home atmosphere tends to be good for the guys from our house like Marco Bezzecchi, second in the Sprint last year, or Fabio Di Giannantonio, who took the pole in 2022. However, Enea Bastianini, who at Mugello does not have a positive tradition he has never been on the podium, while it could be a good opportunity for Franco Morbidelli to try to show off with Ducati, after the growth highlighted in Barcelona.
However, we are unlikely to see Luca Marini in the top positions, struggling with Honda’s technical crisis, who however had the opportunity to carry out a test in Tuscany, so he will arrive with some more data available than the competition. The same goes for Yamaha too.
Up until now we haven’t talked about Aprilia and KTM, who will certainly want to be involved: the Noale company took pole and the victory in the Sprint in Catalonia thanks to the “captain” Aleix Espargaro. The Austrian team, however, net of Sunday’s mistake, can count on Pedro Acosta who seems ready to make his first move into the premier class. Without forgetting that: “you can’t sleep in Mugello!”. Therefore, the appointment is one not to be missed.
Below, you can find the weekend schedules, as well as the television and LIVE programming from Motorsport.com.
Jorge Martin, Pramac Racing, Francesco Bagnaia, Ducati Team, Marc Marquez, Gresini Racing
Photo by: Gold and Goose / Motorsport Images
MotoGP 2024: the times of the Italian Grand Prix
The Italian Grand Prix once again follows the typical format of European MotoGP weekends, and the MotoE will also be on the track, which will compete in free practice and qualifying on Friday and the two races on Saturday. As for MotoGP, traditional times with the Sprint on Saturday at 3pm and the long race on Sunday at 2pm.
Friday 31 May
FP1 MotoE: 8:30-8:45
FP1 Moto3: 9:00-9:35
FP1 Moto2: 9:50-10:30
FP1 MotoGP: 10.45am-11.30am
FP2 MotoE: 12.25-12.40
FP2 Moto3: 1.15pm-1.50pm
FP2 Moto2: 2.05pm-2.45pm
FP2 MotoGP: 3pm-4pm
MotoE Qualifying: 4.15pm-4.45pm
Saturday 1 June
FP3 Moto3: 8:40-9:10
FP3 Moto2: 9:25-9:55
P MotoGP: 10.10am-10.40am
MotoGP Qualifying: 10.50am-11.30am
MotoE Race 1: 12.15pm
Moto3 Qualifying: 12.50-13.30
Moto2 Qualifying: 1.45pm-2.25pm
Sprint MotoGP: 3pm
MotoE Race 2: 4.10pm
Sunday 2 June
MotoGP Warm-Up: 9.40-9.50
Moto3 race: 11:00 am
Moto2 race: 12.15pm
MotoGP race: 2pm
MotoGP 2024: how can I watch the Italian Grand Prix
Sky Sport MotoGP HD (Sky channel 208) and Now: complete live broadcast of all the weekend sessions and MotoGP, Moto2 and Moto3 races. Also live coverage of the two MotoE races on Saturday.
TV8 HD (channel 8 of digital terrestrial): live coverage of qualifying, the MotoGP Sprint and the two MotoE races on Saturday. Live coverage of the races of the three classes on Sunday.
MotoGP 2024: Motorsport.com’s LIVE coverage of the Italian Grand Prix
Saturday 1 June
MotoGP Qualifying: from 10.20am
Sprint MotoGP: from 2.30pm
Sunday 2 June
MotoGP race: from 1.30pm
Francesco Bagnaia, Ducati Team
Photo by: Gold and Goose / Motorsport Images
MotoGP 2024: let’s discover the Mugello circuit
The Mugello Circuit has hosted MotoGP races since the late 1970s, becoming a permanent fixture on the calendar. However, only in 1991 did it become a permanent fixture, hosting the Italian Grand Prix since 1994, which had previously taken place at other circuits such as Misano. The legendary Valentino Rossi is the most victorious rider of this event, with 9 victories across 125cc (1), 250cc (1) and MotoGP (7).
The Mugello Autodrome is longer than MotoGP’s home circuit, the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya, so the Italian Grand Prix races will take place over fewer laps. Sunday’s main race will be 23 laps, while Saturday’s Sprint will be 11 laps. Furthermore, Moto2 will take place over 19 laps and Moto3 over 17 laps, both on the Sunday before the premier class.
| Circuit length |
5.2km |
|
Circuit width |
14 meters |
| Curves |
15 (9 on the right and 6 on the left) |
| Longer straight |
1,041 meters |
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