Motorsport at Mugello began on public roads in the 1920s. The Circuito del Mugello was a demanding 66.2 km course threading through mountain villages north of Scarperia, along the SP503 to Firenzuola, then south via the Futa Pass — a stretch also used by the famous Mille Miglia. Early victors included Giuseppe Campari (1920–1921) and Emilio Materassi (1925, 1926, 1928). The race was revived in 1955 and again from 1964 to 1969 as a sports car event counting toward the World Sportscar Championship. Notable late-era winners included Udo Schütz and Gerhard Mitter in a Porsche 910 (1967), and Arturo Merzario with an Abarth 2000 in both 1969 and 1970.
The public road circuit came to an end in 1970 after a non-race incident in Firenzuola in which Spartaco Dini crashed into bystanders during an open-road private test, killing a seven-month-old baby and seriously injuring four others. The reputational damage ended the road race era permanently.
A purpose-built closed circuit was constructed in 1973 and opened in 1974, approximately 5 km from the eastern edge of the old road course. Ferrari purchased the track in 1988 and has maintained it as a private test and development facility ever since. The circuit has earned a 3-star FIA Environmental Accreditation and holds ISO 9001, ISO 14001, ISO 45001, and ISO 20121 certifications, being ranked the most sustainable racetrack in the world in a 2021 report.
Formula One teams used Mugello for an in-season test during the 2012 season. Sebastian Vettel called it "an incredible circuit with a lot of high-speed corners," while Romain Grosjean set an unofficial track record of 1:21.035 during those sessions.
When the 2020 Formula One season was restructured due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Mugello was added to the calendar as the venue for the Tuscan Grand Prix, held on 13 September 2020. The race marked Ferrari's historic 1000th Grand Prix as a constructor — a milestone the team celebrated at its own circuit. Lewis Hamilton won the race and in doing so set the official race lap record of 1:18.833 and the unofficial all-time qualifying record of 1:15.144 during final qualifying.
At the 2021 Italian motorcycle Grand Prix, Moto3 rider Jason Dupasquier, 19, was involved in a crash at the Arrabbiata 2 corner during qualifying and struck by two following bikes. He was airlifted to hospital in Florence but died of his injuries the following day.
In September 2025, Romain Grosjean returned to a Formula One car at Mugello for an official Testing of Previous Cars session, driving a Haas VF-23 — his first time in an F1 car since the 2020 Bahrain Grand Prix in which he survived a severe fire accident.
Mugello is widely regarded as one of the most challenging and rewarding circuits in the world. Its sequence of high-speed, flowing corners demands exceptional commitment and car balance. The Deutsche Tourenwagen Masters held rounds there in 2007 and 2008, and the Italian motorcycle Grand Prix has been held at Mugello annually as part of the MotoGP calendar. The circuit also hosted FIA Formula 2 and FIA Formula 3 rounds in 2020.
Mugello's combination of natural beauty, technical challenge, and Ferrari heritage make it unique among motorsport venues. Its role as a private Ferrari test track has allowed Formula One machinery to be developed on one of the sport's most beloved roads — one that remained largely unknown to the wider public until its overdue championship debut in 2020.