Jaw-dropping 368km/h speed record broken at Italian GP

A chequered flag waves at Mugello — Photo: © IMAGO

Racing News

Jaw-dropping 368km/h speed record broken at Italian GP

An impressive record has been broken at Ferrari F1's private testing track

Kerry Violet F1 News Editor

F1 editor and journalist covering motorsport since 2024.

Sunday 31 May 2026 10:57

Mugello Circuit, the home of Ferrari F1 testing and MotoGP's Italian GP has seen a record broken in blistering fashion.

This weekend, the Italian track is hosting the premier motorcycle racing championship for the seventh round of the 2026 campaign, marking a return to racing for Jorge Martin following yet another incident-heavy weekend last time out in Barcelona.

At the Catalan GP, the 2024 world champion crashed on six different occasions across the four-day event and was taken to hospital before being discharged.

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Despite miraculously coming away from the race weekend without adding to this year's major injury tally, the Spanish rider has revealed he is still nursing a foot injury following the multiple incidents earlier this month.

He even told media on Friday from Mugello Circuit that he was struggling with his confidence, admitting: "After all those crashes, I always feel that I'm about to crash...I need to work on my confidence.

"I'm used to crashes. This is part of our sport. But for sure, when you crash six times... you lose the confidence."

But come Saturday, it seems Martin has brushed off the confidence cobwebs, claiming the prestigious accolade of a new speed record at the Italian track.

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MotoGP champion smashes Mugello record

Ahead of the main event at the Italian GP which takes place on Sunday, May 31 on Ferrari's private F1 testing track, Martin hit 368.6km/h (229mph), the first time in history anyone has ever done so.

The 28-year-old clocked the new top speed record during FP2 at the Brembo Grand Prix of Italy, beating the previous milestone of 366km/h.

The previous record was set by Brad Binder and Pol Espargaro with Red Bull KTM Factory Racing in 2023 and 2024 respectively, with both riders also hitting the mark at Mugello.

Following the No.89's speedy return to the track following an anxious day of running on Friday, Aprilia Racing Technical Director Fabiano Sterlacchini has expressed the team's excitement over the record, even teasing that further milestones could be set this weekend.

Speaking to MotoGP reporter Jack Appleyard in pitlane, Martin's boss said: "It was one of the targets that we had.

"It’s super exciting to reach the highest speed ever; it’s thanks to the work of everyone at Aprilia in terms of aerodynamic perfection and engine performance, and everything is a synergistic work of all the aspects of the bike.

"I’m not discounting reaching 370 km/h because clearly, with the right wind direction and slipstream, another 2km/h is possible!"