Live on track

Ben Pulman

A superstar DJ sampling the sounds of motorsport, performing live alongside a 1000cv Ferrari, made for a unique event at the Mugello race track in Italy

The Mugello race track in Italy is used to putting on a heart-pumping show, including as the venue for Ferrari’s 1000th Formula 1 Grand Prix in 2020. But this past week it delivered an adrenaline-packed spectacle of another nature, as the backdrop for a spectacular performance by superstar techno DJ Charlotte de Witte.

Not that Ferrari wasn’t present. The Belgian artist performed a 90-minute live set, during which time an SF90 Stradale took to the demanding Tuscan race track. And while the performance of the 1000cv Prancing Horse around the demanding circuit was truly special, the sight of it passing – in close proximity and at high speed – the DJ booth of de Witte on the main straight was unprecedented.

This special livestream event, which fused a passion for speed with techno beats to create an utterly memorable musical performance, was part of de Witte’s partnership with Formula 1. Moreover, the famed artist performed a set called 'New Form' IV: Formula that was inspired by motorsport and samples the noises of the race track to create a truly unique sound.

The thrilling set was the fourth in de Witte’s ‘New Form’ livestream series, which started in 2020 and has seen de Witte perform in a medieval castle in her home town of Ghent in Belgium, as well as in a fortress in Montenegro. This was her first on a race track with a Ferrari speeding by though.

After her set, it was de Witte’s turn to sample the Ferrari-owned race track for real. First she sat alongside Ferrari test driver Raffaele De Simone as a passenger in both the SF90 Stradale and an 812 GTS, and then the pair switched places. The renowned DJ thus experienced first-hand the thrill of driving two of Maranello's most high-performance sports cars around Mugello, contrasting the pure power and control of the 1000cv and four-wheel drive SF90 Stradale, with the open-air thrills and V12 scream of the 812 GTS.

From Charlotte de Witte, Ferrari and Formula 1, to the audience of fans viewing the livestream, it was a one-of-a-kind moment at Mugello.

Click here to view Charlotte de Witte's live set from Mugello