The Italian motorcycle Grand Prix began in 1949 as part of the inaugural Grand Prix motorcycle racing World Championship season. For its first 23 years, the race was held exclusively at Monza. From 1972 to 1993 the event rotated among several circuits before settling permanently at Mugello from 1994 onward, with the exception of 2020 when the race was cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
The Mugello Circuit itself has a rich heritage that predates the permanent track. Road races were held on public streets around the Mugello valley from the 1920s, with the anticlockwise course passing through the towns of San Piero a Sieve, Scarperia, Firenzuola and the famous Futa Pass. Giuseppe Campari won at Mugello in 1920 and 1921. The road circuit was revived in 1955 and again from 1964 to 1970, counting toward the World Sportscar Championship in 1965, 1966 and 1967. The last race on the public road circuit was held in 1970 following a fatal accident during private testing in which a driver crashed into spectators, killing an infant and seriously injuring four others.
The present closed Mugello circuit was constructed in 1973 and opened in 1974, located approximately five kilometres east of the original road course in Scarperia e San Piero, Florence. The circuit measures 5.245 km with 15 turns and a 1.141 km main straight. Since 1988 the track has been owned by Scuderia Ferrari, which uses it primarily for Formula One testing.
Mugello is characterised by a combination of high-speed, flowing sections and technical braking zones. The long Rettifilo straight leads into the San Donato hairpin, one of the most prominent overtaking points in MotoGP. The Arrabbiata complex and the Casanova-Savelli chicane further around the lap require precise entry and exit lines from riders. The circuit's gradient changes and multiple fast corners make it physically demanding, particularly in the heat of the Tuscan summer when the race traditionally takes place in late May or early June.
The Mugello round consistently produces some of the most memorable racing of the MotoGP season. The combination of the long straight, which enables slipstreaming, and technical sections that reward precise riding tends to create close racing and frequent last-lap battles.
At the 2021 Italian motorcycle Grand Prix, Swiss Moto3 rider Jason Dupasquier was fatally injured during qualifying after falling at the Arrabbiata 2 corner and being struck by the bikes of Jeremy Alcoba and Ayumu Sasaki. Dupasquier was airlifted to Careggi hospital in Florence but died of his injuries the following day at the age of 19. His death cast a shadow over that weekend's racing.
Mugello holds the 3-star FIA Environmental Accreditation and was ranked the most sustainable racetrack in the world in a 2021 report. The circuit holds multiple international certifications including ISO 9001, ISO 14001, ISO 45001, ISO 20121 and Eco-Management and Audit Scheme accreditation.
The circuit also hosted its first Formula One race on 13 September 2020, when the 2020 Tuscan Grand Prix was staged as a replacement round during the COVID-19 pandemic season. The race carried particular significance for Scuderia Ferrari as it was the manufacturer's 1000th Formula One Grand Prix entry.
The Italian motorcycle Grand Prix was known as the Gran Premio delle Nazioni from 1949 through 1990, reflecting its original status as a round representing all nations. The event has carried various title sponsors since the mid-1990s, including Cinzano, TIM and Oakley. From 2024 the race has been run as the Gran Premio d'Italia Brembo, with Brembo holding the title sponsorship.