2025 Maserati Track Day at COTA

An Extraordinary Track Day

Sometimes you have a day that is better than most. It doesn’t take much to make a day good. It could be finding a 20 in your pocket, hitting three green lights in a row, an extra French fry in your bag. Or, receiving an unexpected email with a fantastic opportunity.

Mine was getting a spontaneous email from Maserati North America inviting me to track test their entire lineup at the Circuit of the Americas (COTA). Driving Italian performance cars around an F1 race track, “Is the bird dropping on my car;s hood white?” You betcha! 

If the Track Shoe Fits, Send It

Those who don’t know may think of a Maserati as a “fancy” Italian sports car maker for people who enjoy showcasing commas in their bank accounts. But Maserati is way more than a brand to stir envy, it cut its teeth on the same race tracks as Aston Martin, Mercedes-Benz, Porsche and its neighbor Ferrari.

In 2026 Maserati will celebrate its 100th birthday. So having the chance to be on a race track surrounded by Maseratis felt really fortunate, like being at the right place at the right time by the only magic in the world – dumb luck.

Among the fleet I would be allowed to drive around COTA was one I could only ride shotgun, a menacing example of the Maserati MCXtrema. One of only 62 built, the MCXtrema is a purpose-built hypercar stripped down to a race car fighting weight to stab corners with a trident.

It is the most powerful car Maserati has produced to date with a rated 730 horsepower squeezed out of its Netturo V6 engine. Delivering a riding experience, I would describe as feeling like a Hot Wheels toy car in the hands of a nine-year-old, more on that later.

The 2025 Maserati Lineup on Track

What I found interesting about Maserati is how efficient the brand has become with its drivetrains. Everything from the swanky GranTurismo and GranCabrio, the supercar chic MC20 Cielo Spyder and GT2 Stradale, the hardcore MCXtrema, and even high-tier variants of its luxury SUVs are powered by the Nettuno 3.0L twin-turbocharged V6 engine. 

The Nettuno is a Maserati-developed engine built in Modena, Italy. The powerful twin-turbocharged V6, introduced in 2020, marked a new era for the brand. 

They are proud of it, and they should be, as it serves as the heart of Maserati with a finely tuned output for each vehicle. For example, the luxury sports car-oriented GranTurismo produces between 490 and 542 horsepower, depending on the variant. The super siblings, the MC20 and track-star GT2 Stradale produce 621 and 631 hp, respectively. 

Maserati GranTurismo Trofeo

The first car I drove around COTA was the Maserati GranTurismo Trofeo (starting price $157,000). This sun-bright luxury sports car ages like a vampire, maintaining the same exterior design silhouette since it debuted in 2007. Nevertheless, the interior has the right materials and presence to make you feel like you’re in a premium means of transportation. 

Once in sport mode, we were given the green light to punch it and throw it around the 20 turns COTA has to offer. But! We were warned to “go easy” on the brakes. 

A reasonable request, as the GT is not a full-on race car or supercar, but rather a plush sports car for long-distance travel in style. Great on a coastal highway overlooking a sun tucking itself beneath the Mediterranean Sea, but here on this challenging F1 track, I found myself fighting with the car – breaking a sweat in the process. 

Learning the Moves

The car strives to be smooth while offering both luxury and performance. However, when you throw it into a corner at speed, you can feel the symmetry going slightly off balance, as the plush seats lack the rigid side bolstering to hold you in place. 

Moreover, if you miscalculate the turn, you’ll quickly notice that Maserati GranTurismo’s body rolls like a belly dancer. As fast and responsive as the car was, I struggled to master its handling. It has the right hardware, but I needed more time to read the manual on how to use it properly. 

Furthermore, I was halfway through the first lap when the dashboard warned me the brakes were at risk of overheating. Alarming because I thought I was being gentle and still had 15 minutes of high-speed driving ahead of me. 

Call it bravery or stupidity, I decided to keep going. I went flat out down straight away at over 120, seeing if I could outrun the anxiety of the flashing red warning light on the dash. 

Eventually, I learned the car’s rhythm and was able to conserve the brakes without triggering the car’s computer warning icon. The GranTurismo Trofeo has the power and grip to tackle curves. But I found it more enjoyable looking fast at 30 mph than going fast at 130. 

Maserati GT2 Stradale 

After the GranTurismo, I set my sights on the MC20 Cielo Spyder and GT2 Stradale. The MCs are a totally different breed of thoroughbred that becomes apparent the moment you open the butterfly door. This is no common sports car. It’s a supercar! 

Choosing to drive the purple matte finish GT2 Stradale (estimated starting price $314,000) before the tequila sunrise yellow MC20 Cielo Spyder (estimated starting price $277,000) gave me the chance to experience the uncut, unfiltered version first. The GT2 Stradale is the track-focused variant, featuring less weight and more power than the standard MC20. 

Street Jet Fighter

You feel like a pilot stepping inside the Maserati GT2 Stradale with a brightly colored pull tag in between your legs used to adjust the seat – or bail out of an F-16 fighter jet. The floating center console keeps it simple with large analog buttons and a hard-to-miss rotary dial to select drive modes that should be labeled as “Fast,” “Faster,” and “Mama Mia!” 

On the track, the GT2 Stradale composes itself with the agile grace of a trained K-9 police dog responding to your slightest command with pinpoint precision. 

A light touch at the wheel allows you to sit back and let the suspension do the heavy lifting. The acceleration and braking, combined with the liquid-smooth steering and lightning-fast agility, create a recipe that satisfies the need for speed and leaves you craving more. 

Maserati MC20 Cielo Spyder 

Stepping into the Maserati MC20 Cielo Spyder, the toned-down, top-down variant provided a totally different but equally exciting experience. 

I drove this car on a weak stomach, slightly dehydrated, and mentally trying to keep my brain from spinning. They say beauty is pain, and I wasn’t going to let a little case of crippling nausea stop me from driving this captivatingly gorgeous supercar. 

This was the car I feel best represents what Maserati offers its customers – balance. It moves like a classically trained ballerina holding a submachine gun. 

The handling is graceful yet disciplined with rapid-fire performance hurling you and a passenger from zero to 60 in three seconds flat, accelerating smoother than sipping champagne on a private jet during takeoff. 

Maserati MCXtreama at COTA 

Yet, the most memorable time spent on the track was riding shotgun in the MCXtrema (estimated price $1,500,000), driven by Masterai’s in-house professional racing driver, Daniele Manca. 

I would describe my three laps in the Maserati MCXtrema at COTA as being tied to the back of a racehorse and having its tail set on fire. I’ve never felt so helpless and at the mercy of inertia in my life. 

When I wasn’t holding on for dire life in the turns, my chin was perforating the center of my chest under the instantly brutal braking power that sounded like cast iron bear traps clapping down to slow the car. 

How fast were we going? G-force prevented me from glancing at the speedometer, but I would wager 150-160 mph before needing to slow down to make a turn. 

A Physical Reaction to Speed 

Whatever the speed in the MCXtrema, it was fast enough to turn the contents of my stomach into projectile shrapnel the moment we stopped in the pit lane. 

This was easily my most embarrassing moment on a racetrack, compounded by seeing the pit crew removing the windshield so they could clean it properly. Maserati says it builds cars with passion and emotion, and I can attest the MCXtrema’s performance and handling provoked a very emotional reaction out of me. 

I want to extend special thanks to everyone from Maserati for going above and beyond to ensure I was all right. Thank you!

Maserati’s Reputation 

Hot laps aside, I was genuinely impressed by what Maserati is bringing to the highly competitive segment of luxury-performance cars. 

On the drive home from COTA, I couldn’t help but feel a slight melancholy because I knew that no matter how much I praised these cars, people would only think of one thing regarding the brand – deprecation. 

All cars depreciate the moment they roll off the lot, but Maseratis have a reputation for sinking faster than the Titanic.

According to iSeeCars.com, a website dedicated to analyzing vehicle sales, the Maserati Ghibli sports sedan (starting price: $109,500) and Levante SUV (starting price: $102,000) ranked in the top ten of 25 vehicles with the worst depreciation over five years, losing more than 60% of their value. Ouch. 

But! The list did not mention any of the models I tested, so don’t let one or two sour grapes prevent you from enjoying a fine wine.