Renaissance genius and Ducati vision come together in a unique tribute for the Italian Grand Prix

Words and images courtesy of Ducati

Italian excellence made of art and ingenuity. The Renaissance and Florence, Ducati and the Italian Grand Prix at Mugello: all symbols of excellence that come together in a unique project.

For its home race, Ducati brings the full evocative power of this connection to the track. This is done with a special livery for the Desmosedici GP bikes of the Ducati Lenovo Team and its official riders.

In recent years, the Italian Grand Prix at Mugello has become one of the settings for Ducati to illustrate its identity through special projects. In 2024, Azzurro paid homage to the colour of the Italian national teams in sport. We saw the 2025 narrative evolve even further. It blends beauty and ingenuity.

This is a tribute to Florence, the cradle of the Renaissance and symbol of Italian creative genius.

The Renaissance was a period of extraordinary cultural, artistic, and scientific ferment that marked the transition to the modern world. Born in Italy between the 14th and 16th centuries, the movement flourished particularly in Florence – cradle of the movement and beating heart of Tuscany. This city is just a few kilometers from the Mugello Circuit. It brought human beings, critical thinking, and beauty as an expression of knowledge back to the center stage.

An era where visionary figures rose. They blended art, science, and beauty. This created a model of excellence and creativity that still inspires forms, ideas, and innovation today.

A spirit that lives in the DNA of Ducati, a symbol of Italian excellence. In Ducati, technology and beauty merge in every motorcycle.

Born from the collaboration between designer Aldo Drudi and historian Marcello Simonetta, the project has given life to a livery with a strong symbolic and cultural value. The inspiration comes from two emblematic figures of the Italian Renaissance. On the one hand Leonardo da Vinci, the incarnation of universal genius and harmony between art and science. On the other Niccolò Machiavelli, the thinker with a “dark side”.

Inspired by Leonardo’s famous drawing known as the “Ancient Captain”, Aldo Drudi has reinterpreted the image in a dynamic and contemporary way.

He has accentuated the inclination of the head. This transforms the Renaissance leader into a modern knight ready to ride his “motorized” centaur.

This is where the story begins: Francesco Bagnaia (#63) and Marc Márquez (#93), two modern-day knights, riding one of the most prestigious symbols of Made in Italy motorsport, ready to combine power and intelligence in a challenge on the track.

Their Desmosedici GPs feature a lion and a fox inspired by the armour of Leonardo da Vinci’s famous leader. This represents the perfect synthesis between strength and cunning, just as Machiavelli teaches in “The Prince”. To win, you need both the strength of the lion and the cunning of the fox.

A story that unfolds among the wonders of Florence. In the Stibbert Museum, a temple of Renaissance collecting. The Ducati Lenovo Team riders enter dressed as gentlemen and transform into modern knights.

Surrounded by armour that seems to come to life, they wear helmets, breastplates and gloves. These are reinterpreted in a contemporary key: helmet, suit and racing gloves, inspired by the motifs of the special livery.

The Desmosedici GPs conquer the majesty of Piazza della Signoria with elegance and respect. They compare themselves with the extraordinary works of art and architecture that surround them. These are under the imposing shadow of Michelangelo’s David. The solemn façade of Palazzo Vecchio also stands there. This is a tribute to centuries of Italian art and history.

An encounter where modern technology merges with the immortal beauty of Florence.

With this special livery, Ducati brings to the track a visual and narrative dialogue between past and present, between art and engineering.

It is a connection between the genius of the Renaissance and contemporary ingenuity of which the motorcycle manufacturer is an expression. 

A tribute that gives shape to the Renaissance vision: combining technique and beauty to create something unique. It is capable of exciting, inspiring and leaving a mark – just like Ducati does with its motorcycles.