Daniel Ricciardo has given a big thumbs up to the possibility of holding Formula 1 races at Mugello and Portimao in 2020.
The two venues, which have previously hosted tests but never a Grand Prix, have emerged as options to fill up the revised calendar, which could be revealed as early as Monday.
Mugello is expected to be confirmed for September 13, with Ferrari conducting a test day at the track last week, and Ricciardo only has good memories of the Tuscan venue.
“I was very excited to hear [this],” he told a media gathering over Zoom this week.
“The first circuit I heard was Mugello, and that was a circuit I raced back in 2007 for the first time, it was my favourite circuit that season.
“I loved just the flowing, high-speed corners, and I think in F1 it would be amazing.
“We had a test there, I think it was back in 2012 in F1, but the cars now, these 2020 cars around there would be insane.”
Portimao is less certain as to whether it will stage the first Portuguese Grand Prix since 1996, but the Renault driver also gave it good cred.
“I’ve driven Portimão as well. I actually have good memories in Portimão,” he said. “It was where I wrapped up the F3 championship, and it was a circuit I really enjoyed.
“There’s some good elevation and quite good flowing fast corners, so I’m not disappointed if any of these go ahead at all. I would be very excited.
“I’ll invest in a home simulator or something to refresh, but I’m fairly familiar with at least those two circuits.”
The addition of those two circuits alone would take the number of races this season up to 10, and that is the minimum Ricciardo believes is required to make the 2020 season “legit”.
“Right now, I’d say it is legit,” he said speaking on the Australian Grand Prix Corporation’s new ‘In the Fast Lane’ podcast.
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“If we only did four or five races, yeah maybe so, but if we get anything from kind of 10 and above, there’s enough races there to figure out who the champion is, in my mind.
“Obviously the atmosphere is going to be different around the paddock without fans, at least for the first part of the season, but the reality is we’re all racing. The same drivers, the same cars.
“For me, the competition isn’t going to change.”