Still shaking with good old-fashioned, unashamed and unbridled excitement after Sunday’s thriller? How could you not be? After all, a sniff of victory will do that to you. “One more lap, I needed one more lap,” uttered Carlos as he crossed the finish line – little more than a hair’s breadth from victory. And while that memorable Monza day has already been consigned to the history books, Carlos’ wish for more laps has been granted… well, sort of.

Mugello awaits!

A circuit famed for two-wheeled escapades of the highest order, having been the scene of many mesmerising MotoGP battles, it’s now time for Formula 1 to roar amongst the Tuscan hills. And what better way to bring you up to speed than with our latest race preview? It’s your chance to hear from Carlos, Lando and James Key, as well as learn about what’s in store this weekend and get details of a competition that will have you doffing your cap in appreciation – should you be the lucky winner.

How to follow

What they say

“What a start to the Italian double-header! I still have a bit of a nagging feeling for not getting the win, but after a couple of days and having reviewed the weekend I’m obviously very happy with our performance. We were the fastest car behind Mercedes all weekend, and even after the setback of the red flag we managed to put ourselves again back in contention for the win. I drove my heart out the whole race and gave everything to catch Pierre. He did a good job holding on so well done to him.

“We move on to Mugello, where I hope we can carry our good momentum and have another strong weekend. It’s a completely new track for me and F1 cars have never raced here before, which makes it an exciting challenge. Getting as much data, confidence and understanding as possible on Friday will be crucial to a good weekend.”

“Mugello is a circuit that usually makes me think of MotoGP, rather than Formula 1, so I'm excited to be getting the chance to race there this weekend. I think it’s going to be quite a physical circuit, with fast, long corners and lots of g-force. Expect to see a few drivers resting their necks on the headrest! I hope we’re in for some more excitement this weekend, especially considering how close we were to a double podium last week. We’ve been working hard in the simulator to prepare for this weekend and try to gather data on the circuit. I’ve raced there before in Formula 4, so I do have some experience of the track. Racing in an F1 car will be very different to F4 though, so this sim time has been crucial to our preparation. I'm sure it will be an interesting race, especially considering the limited information the teams have on the track. We’ll be aiming to make the most of the circumstances and try and bag ourselves some crucial points in the Constructors’ Championship.”

“It’s great to be heading to a new circuit this weekend, which is a good thing for the sport during this compressed season. Mugello is a fantastic track in a beautiful part of Italy and it will be great to see Formula 1 cars race there.

“Mugello is a new challenge with a real mix of corners, many of which are high-speed. That’s a difficult thing to quantify when you haven’t got any historic data from a circuit. So, a lot of work has been going on in the background through simulation to learn about the circuit and how our current F1 car will perform there.

“With regards to mechanical and aerodynamic set-up, we have to simulate that as best we can and estimate what we believe to be the right start point but of course leave our options open. It’s going to be dependent on the reality of the situation when we arrive, particularly how the tyres behave on that particular track surface and conditions. This is one of the most difficult things to predict at an early stage.

“Mugello is a really interesting place that is more akin to a combination of Silverstone and Barcelona, than somewhere like Monza, for example. There are a series of fairly high-speed corners in the middle of the lap which are similar in nature to Silverstone. Then it gets more technical towards the end, where you have lower speeds with long duration hairpin-like corners. We will be looking for a set-up – both aero and mechanical – that tries to accommodate all of those aspects.

“It’s a great engineering challenge and one that I think represents opportunities and pitfalls when you go to a new circuit with the nature of Mugello. It will be good to get started and see whether we were close to the mark or whether there’s still a lot to learn come Friday. I’m sure there will still be a great deal to do, but there has been a lot of background work and we’re going into the weekend with a good level of preparation.”

What the stats say

In many ways, this weekend represents uncharted territory. F1 has never raced at Mugello and the last time teams were here en masse was for testing back in 2012. A few of the drivers that took part in that test are still on the grid today but, unsurprisingly, Carlos and Lando are not part of that club.

Racing here will be a new experience for Carlos but not Lando. He contested three Italian Formula 4 races at Mugello in 2015, and heads into this weekend as one of only four drivers who have progressed all the way to the top-10 shootout in every qualifying session so far this season. Meanwhile, Carlos’ recent podium is hopefully a good omen, as on the previous occasions when he or Lando have finished a grand prix in the top three, both have gone on to score points in the following race.

What to watch out for

Race circuits don’t get much faster than Monza, but Mugello isn’t far off. Fast and demanding, with its long, sweeping bends and 0.7-mile straight, there’s every chance that drivers won’t drop below fourth gear around here. Ultra-low downforce bodywork was all the rage for the high-speed, low-drag demands of Monza, but teams will be piling downforce back on at Mugello.

Lando has hinted it will be a bit like Austria’s Red Bull Ring, just without the heavy braking zones. Their scarcity may reduce the opportunity for overtaking, but there’s no escaping the big stop into Turn One at the end the gargantuan main straight – making it the most likely spot to pull off a pass and therefore a part of the track you should keep an eye on.

Your other eye should be on the breathtaking sequence of corners that is Casanova, Savelli, Arrabbiata 1 and Arrabbiata 2 – Turn Six through to Turn Nine. A stomach-churning rollercoaster ride awaits the drivers, as they rapidly descend downhill and then uphill towards a fearsome, blind right-hander that will dare them to keep the throttle pinned to the floor.

What to wear

Since we launched the #WeRaceAsOne U-Mask, the demand for this social distancing wardrobe essential has been off the charts. And that’s great news because not only does it mean you’ve been able to stay safe in style, but all the profits go to charities supporting those most affected by covid-19. So with just over half the season still to go, if you haven’t already got your hands on one, what are you are waiting for?! 

Plus one

Now, it’s been a couple of weeks since we last served up a competition for McLaren Plus members, but we’ve got a double helping of giveaway goodness for you this week. Carlos and Lando have each signed their respective driver caps, and now we’re giving them away! All you have to do is complete this form to put your hat in the ring for one of these signed beauties.

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