I used to play softball as a kid. It’s not worth getting into specifics but let me just say that, even by softball standards, this was not a serious league. It mainly existed to build community, grow and create friendships, and be an enjoyable way to spend a weekend afternoon. It was supposed to be fun. It wasn’t though, mainly because there were always those who took it way too seriously.
Don’t get me wrong, I love winning. I also love being good at stuff, and there’s obvious value in doing things the right way. But there’s also a time and place—the Dodgers aren’t scouting local church softball games any more than Toto Wolff is recruiting Hamilton replacements at Maserati Owners’ Club track days. This leads me to wonder aloud why Maserati chose to conduct its launch of the new GT2 Stradale as if it were a one-day intensive driver training program.
The Car
Depending on how you look at it, the Maserati GT2 Stradale is either the track-focused version of the MC20 or the roadgoing version of its new GT2 racecar. Either way, it’s powered by the company’s 3.0-liter twin-turbo Nettuno V6 making 631 horsepower, 10 more than the MC20 thanks to increased boost pressure in both the turbos and exhaust manifolds. That makes it the most powerful roadgoing, gas-powered Maserati ever made. Weighing 132 pounds less than MC20, it gets from zero to 62 mph in 2.8 seconds and tops out at 201 mph.
There’s a new track-tailored Corsa drive mode with four different levels of traction leniency. Much of the enhanced aero and cooling is adapted from the GT2 racer, as are the lighter, 20-inch forged aluminum center-lock wheels and the suspension geometry. The massive, carbon fiber swan-neck rear wing is adjustable. The steering has been recalibrated for track duty and there’s more cooling for the bespoke carbon ceramic Brembo brakes. An eight-speed dual-clutch auto shifts quicker than it does in the MC20.
Inside, new carbon shell seats look the absolute business and feel that way to sit in, too. Much of the carpet has been nixed so it’s lighter and you can see the carbon tub. The steering wheel is thicker, features LED shift lights along the top and is made of carbon fiber, Alcantara, and blue stitching.
A Short Leash
I arrived at the fantastic Circuito Ascari buzzing with anticipation. There were four GT2 Stradales all painted a different color sitting coolly outside. What an afternoon I was about to have, I thought. We were to get two lapping sessions lasting four laps each, but my excitement was dampened a little when I learned that a Maserati-provided track instructor would be in the passenger seat for all of it—there goes those weight savings.
I’ve been to quite a few first-drive press events like this now and can confidently say that this is not normal. “No biggie, though, it’ll be nice to have someone to answer questions and keep us out of the grass,” I thought. But then, I set off in the Stradale and spent the next eight laps basically being told how to drive: where to brake, when to shift, where to place the car, when to throttle out, it was endless.
This would’ve been OK if the proverbial leash was sufficiently long and not as distracting, but unforch, it was not. I was braking earlier, shifting shorter, and overall going way slower than I would have flying solo. Instead of a thorough sprint and spanking, it felt like I was taking the GT2 Stradale out for a brisk jog. At more than one point, he even reached over to upshift for me (What exactly is the point of an 8,000-rpm redline if you never touch it?) and I distinctly remember turning in with more vigor for his liking and being told “Don’t do that, or you will start to slide,” as if the cinematic highlight reel Maserati had playing on a loop in the paddock lounge didn’t depict the car doing exactly that.
Most performance cars feature nannies in the form of traction and stability control, and perhaps some built-in understeer. On this day, in the GT2 Stradale, the nanny was riding shotgun.
Now, I’m sure there was genuine merit to the instructions that were doled out. Slow is smooth and smooth is fast, and perhaps, yeah, trap speeds would be higher if you short-shift to keep it in the boost. But we are not here to set lap records. We are not here to nail every apex. We are here to see what this new Maserati track car is like to cane on. We are here to shift only at redline, to see how easily it’ll drift. We are here to have fun. And, most importantly, we are here so we can tell you what that’s like.
Driving a supercar around a racetrack should feel like dining at a three-Michelin-star restaurant. It should be exquisitely crafted, it should be wholly luxurious, it should feel special, and, above all else, it should be enjoyable. The vast majority of my track time in GT2 Stradale, however, felt more like I was the one in the kitchen, getting yelled at by Gordon Ramsay for forgetting the lamb sauce.
Finally, Some Good Food
After some grumbling, we were each granted two extra laps—solo. Thank God. Let loose, the GT2 Stradale is a certified weapon both on the straights and in the bends. It’s hard not to be with 631 horses and Michelin Cup 2 R’s serving up grip for days. A V6 will never be the most melodic of engines, but the loud turbo whooshes are neat, and Maserati says it’s working on an in-house aftermarket track-only titanium exhaust sans any gas particulate filters or cats for even more fury.
Steering isn’t McLaren tactile or Porsche brilliant but it’s quick, well-judged for trackwork, and decently feelsome. Brakes are strong, but the pedal is surprisingly long likely in the name of easier modulation. The eight-speed gearbox swaps cogs fairly quickly, and it does that thing of kicking you in the back in Corsa mode, but column-mounted shift paddles are nonsensical, and that’s a hill I’m prepared to die on. One thing that deserves unasterisked praise is the decidedly reasonable ride. In fact, spring rates are only “marginally” increased from the MC20, making the Stradale surprisingly not-terrible as a street car, too.
I even got the tail to step out a couple of times and, shocker, it was the most fun thing I did all day, but before I got to explore more of this aspect of the Stradale’s personality, my two laps were up and I was pulling back into pit lane.
Having Fun Yet?
Departing Ascari, the track-focused Maser is an undoubtedly capable thing on the road (that compliant suspension became crucial here). I like that you can see the front fender vents from the driver’s seat and while physical rearward outward visibility is nonexistent, the digital rearview mirror solves that.
Hucking it around the mountain roads of Málaga, however, solidified an impression that had been inkling since lap three: This isn’t that fun. There are some solid ingredients here, and there’s a high floor on the inherent enjoyment derived from driving a mid-engined Italian supercar in Spain, but speaking frankly, the GT2 Stradale’s driving inputs don’t exhibit that dopamine-inducing one-ness you get with the best performance cars out there. And, it has to be said, the turbocharged V6 still falls short on the emotionality one would expect out of a Maserati, no matter how much torque it makes at however high a gear.
And even if you are one of those racing driver robots who couldn’t care less about Feel or Passion, I’m not sure it’d be my pick on Outright Pace, either. Just to put it out there, the Porsche 911 GT3 RS starts at a whole $70K less than this and it’s within spitting distance of the ballistic McLaren 750S. Simply put, it’s not really good enough to take itself as seriously as it does.
Yes, it’s fast. Yes, it boogies. Yes, it looks great. Yes, the doors swing up. But given its premise, specs, pedigree, and price, a new track star Maserati midship better do all that and some.
You Can Still Get One!
Usually, at this point in the review of cars like this, I tell you how nothing I’ve written really matters because the ultra-expensive supercar has already sold out. Well, despite Maserati limiting production to 914 units—a nod to the fact that it was founded in 1914—and order books being open since last August, there are indeed GT2 Stradale build slots still available.
Hm.
I wanted to love the GT2 Stradale and maybe it’s one of those cars that gets better the more you drive and build a relationship with it. But cars like this are supposed to show why internal combustion still has a place in this world—and if not the world, then definitely in our hearts. As far as I can tell from this admittedly stunted first drive, this one… doesn’t really do that. At the end of the day, the real takeaway might just be this, though: Supercars are way more fun when there isn’t an Italian man in your ear telling you how you’re supposed to drive it.
| 2025 Maserati GT2 Stradale Specs | |
|---|---|
| Base Price (as tested) | $311,995 ($324,945) |
| Powertrain | 3.0-liter twin-turbo V6 | 8-speed dual-clutch automatic | rear-wheel drive |
| Horsepower | 631 @ 7,500 rpm |
| Torque | 531 lb-ft @ 3,000-5,500 rpm |
| Seating Capacity | 2 |
| Cargo Volume | 4.0 cubic feet |
| Homologated Weight | 3,009 pounds |
| 0-62 mph | 2.8 seconds |
| Top Speed | 201 mph |
| EPA Fuel Economy | 15 mpg city | 25 highway | 18 combined (MC20) |
| Score | 7/10 |
Quick Take
Not competent enough to dethrone Porsche nor exciting enough to serve as an alt-Ferrari, the GT2 Stradale is a track car that looks better than it drives.
Got a tip or question for the author about the GT2 Stradale? You can reach him here: chris.tsui@thedrive.com