Vitaly Petrov critical of safety at Mugello track

Vitaly Petrov on Thursday dealt a blow to Mugello's ambitions to join the F1 calendar. The Russian, who drives for Caterham, said the Ferrari owned circuit in beautiful Tuscany is too dangerous for modern grand prix cars. On Thursday, F1 teams are concluding their third consecutive day of rare in-season testing at the high speed circuit near Florence.

"I'm not sure the track is right for today's F1 cars," Petrov is quoted by the Ria Novosti news agency. "You get very close to the walls and it's maybe a bit small for the cars now."

There have also been grumbles heard in the paddock all week about the wisdom of the test. "I wonder about the sense of having just one test session during the season," a Mercedes engineer told La Gazzetta dello Sport. "Either we do more tests or we forget it."

Also on Thursday, Fernando Alonso delayed Ferrari's test programme when he ran off track with the newly upgraded F2012. He finished the morning session third fastest, behind Sebastian Vettel (Red Bull) and Romain Grosjean (Lotus). (GMM)

Replies (0)

Login to reply

AZ Azerbaijan Grand Prix

Local time 

AZAzerbaijan Grand Prix

Local time 

Test calendar

See full test schedule

World Championship standings 2026

Show full world champion standings

Related news

Give your opinion!

Will Bottas challenge Hamilton for the world championship in 2020?

Formula 1 Calendar - 2026

Date
Grand Prix
Circuit
-
Spain
-
Bahrain
-
Bahrain
6 - Mar 8
Australia
13 - Mar 15
China
27 - Mar 29
Japan
10 - Apr 12
Bahrain
17 - Apr 19
Saudi Arabia
1 - May 3
United States of America
22 - May 24
Canada
5 - Jun 7
Monaco
12 - Jun 14
Spain
See full schedule

Formula 1 Calendar - 2026

Date
Grand Prix & Circuit
6 - Mar 8
Australia Albert Park
13 - Mar 15
27 - Mar 29
10 - Apr 12
17 - Apr 19
Saudi Arabia Jeddah Street Circuit
1 - May 3
United States of America Miami International Autodrome
22 - May 24
5 - Jun 7
Monaco Monte Carlo
12 - Jun 14
See full schedule

Driver profile

  • Team Aston Martin
  • Points 628
  • Podiums 9
  • Grand Prix 196
  • Country ES
  • Date of b. Jul 29 1981 (44)
  • Place of b. Oviedo, ES
  • Weight 68 kg
  • Length 1.71 m
Show full profile

Team profile

Show full profile
show sidebar