FORMULA 1 heads to new surroundings this weekend as Oxfordshire’s teams arrive at the exciting Mugello Circuit in Italy.

The track has hosted events across a range of disciplines since 1974, but tomorrow its lights will go out for the highest tier of motorsport for the first time.

Enstone-based Renault arrive at Mugello looking to follow up another solid display at last weekend’s Italian Grand Prix at Monza, where Daniel Ricciardo was sixth and Esteban Ocon eighth.

They climbed to fifth in the constructors championship following a chaotic afternoon and hopes are high for another exciting race tomorrow.

Ricciardo took part in Formula 1 testing at Mugello in 2012 and has fond memories.

He said: “It’s so fast and flowing, it has a nice rhythm and it’s going to be a lot of hard work at the wheel.

“I think all our necks are going to want to fly off because of the changes of direction and medium to high speed corners.

“It’s going to be pretty awesome.”

Teammate Ocon has never driven there, but is looking forward to getting his first taste.

“Mugello looks like a fantastic track for pure pace,” he said.

“From what I’ve seen on my home simulator it looks a massive challenge for the car, the driver and especially the tyres, which will be critical to manage throughout.

“I’ve driven a lot of laps there on the simulator and it has a nice combination of corners, some quick ones, which will be mega impressive in the current cars.”

Elsewhere, Williams announced this week that Simon Roberts will become acting team principal, after Claire Williams stepped down after the race in Monza.

The Grove-based team is still waiting to get off the mark for the season, but George Russell believes they have a good chance of posting a strong result.

He said: “I drove there six years ago, and it was one the best tracks I have ever driven.

“It will be incredibly physical for all of the drivers out there with the extremely high speeds.

“This circuit should suit us more than the last two so I will be going there and giving it my all and hope for a good weekend.”

This weekend also marks Ferrari’s 1,000th race in Formula 1.

Banbury-based Haas have enjoyed a working relationship with the iconic team since joining the grid at the start of 2016 and team principal Guenther Steiner paid tribute to the Prancing Horse.

He said: “Formula 1 without Ferrari would only be half of Formula 1 – that’s what we have to be honest about.

“They’ve been there since almost the beginning and they’re just such a big part of what Formula 1 is now.

“Honestly, without Ferrari we wouldn’t be here either.”