Motor racing at Mugello predates the current circuit by several decades. Road races on public streets in the Mugello valley began in the 1920s, with the circuit traversing mountain roads between Scarperia, Firenzuola, and surrounding villages over a distance of 66.2 km per lap. Giuseppe Campari won at Mugello in 1920 and 1921; Emilio Materassi took victories in 1925, 1926, and 1928. The road race counted toward the World Sportscar Championship in 1965, 1966, and 1967. The end of the public road circuit came after a 1970 accident during private testing in which a pedestrian was killed in Firenzuola, leading to the cancellation of further events on the road layout.
The permanent closed circuit was constructed in 1973 and opened in 1974, approximately 5 km east of the original road course's easternmost section. Ferrari acquired ownership in 1988 and has used the circuit primarily as a private testing facility for its Formula One operation, though it continues to host major external events.
The Superbike World Championship held rounds at Mugello in 1991–1992 and 1994. The circuit's flowing, high-speed layout — featuring 15 corners and a 1.141 km straight — presents an extreme challenge for Superbike machinery, demanding maximum top speed alongside the ability to brake hard into the slower technical sectors.
Mugello's combination of long, fast corners (particularly the Arrabbiata sequence) and the extended main straight has historically produced some of the highest recorded speeds in motorcycle racing competition. The circuit's MotoGP-grade facilities and the passionate Italian tifosi create an intense atmosphere for motorcycle events.
The circuit measures 5.245 km and is among the longest and most physically demanding in the European motorcycle calendar. The layout begins at the start/finish line and runs through a series of fast, medium, and slow corners with significant elevation changes across the lap. The Arrabbiata 1 and 2 corners are among the most celebrated in world motorcycle racing — fast, sweeping right-handers that require both commitment and precision — while San Donato is a slow, downhill braking zone at the end of the main straight. The Bucine chicane in the second half of the lap provides another overtaking opportunity before the flowing run back toward the finish.
The circuit holds the 3-star FIA Environmental Accreditation and was ranked the most sustainable racing circuit in the world in a 2021 assessment. It also carries ISO 9001, ISO 14001, ISO 45001, ISO 20121, and EMAS certifications.
The Italian motorcycle Grand Prix has been held at Mugello annually, with the circuit firmly established as the Italian round of the MotoGP World Championship. The event regularly draws capacity crowds of up to 50,000 from across Tuscany and further afield, making it one of the most attended rounds on the calendar. In 2021, Moto3 rider Jason Dupasquier was fatally injured during qualifying at the Arrabbiata 2 corner, a tragedy that cast a shadow over that year's event.
Earlier in the circuit's motorcycle history, Mugello hosted San Marino motorcycle Grands Prix in 1982, 1984, 1991, and 1993, before the current continuous Italian GP arrangement was established.
Although Ferrari uses Mugello regularly for testing, the circuit only hosted its first official Formula One World Championship race on 13 September 2020 — the Tuscan Grand Prix, which was also the 1000th Grand Prix for Scuderia Ferrari as a constructor, chosen symbolically for that milestone. The event was held as part of the COVID-19 pandemic-driven schedule restructuring. The circuit also hosted in-season Formula One testing in 2012, where Romain Grosjean set an unofficial track record of 1:21.035, drawing praise from drivers including Mark Webber and Sebastian Vettel for its challenge and variety. The official lap record is 1:18.833, set by Lewis Hamilton in the 2020 Tuscan Grand Prix.
The early 20th century road circuit at Mugello contributed to the circuit's identity as a cradle of Italian motorsport. Victory in the Mugello Grand Prix carried prestige across both motorcycle and car racing, and the circuit's long association with the Ferrari family — who took ownership of the permanent facility — gives it a continuity of heritage that stretches from the interwar road racing era to the present day as one of Europe's most distinctive and demanding permanent circuits.