2025 Maserati GT2 Stradale's Aggressive Looks Write A Check That It Just Can't Cash On The Track
With a starting price of $311,995 you’d expect a brilliant car, but the GT2 Stradale is just... fine.
Maserati, like every car company, has had its ups and downs, but lately it's been on an upswing. The exotic Italian carmaker's flagship supercar, the handsome MC20, was introduced in 2022 with impressive comfort and daily drivability for a 621-horsepower mid-engine exotic. For 2025, Maserati ups the MC20's performance ante by introducing the new GT2 Stradale, a more track-focused version of the MC20 that's informed by lessons Maserati learned from its Fanatec GT2 European Racing Series car.
The GT2 Stradale loses 368 pounds and gains 10 horsepower over the MC20, and it has increased cooling and aerodynamic components, stiffer suspension, bigger optional brakes and other track-ready enhancements. Maserati will only produce 914 GT2 Stradales for the entire world, with each U.S. car costing a minimum of $311,995 including $1,995 destination. So then, how does this race-inspired, road-legal supercar fulfill its mission? Not as well as you'd hope.
Full Disclosure: The fabulous folks at Maserati flew me out to Southern Spain in business class, put me up at an extravagant seaside resort in gorgeous Marbella for two nights, and fed me delicious meals. Oh yeah, and I got to drive Maserati's new supercar on the Ascari Racing Circuit. My time behind the wheel was very limited — I only got six laps on the track followed by a half-hour drive back to the hotel in afternoon traffic — but here's what I learned about the GT2 Stradale in that incredibly brief time.
Driving the GT2 Stradale around the Ascari Circuit is a good time. Not a great time, but a good one. The biggest impediment from behind the wheel is the steering itself. The car dives into corners quickly and excitingly, but the wheel you're left guessing about front-end grip, which is extra frustrating in a mid-engine car. Just 40 percent of the weight is over the front wheels, so you really need to know whether you can trust those wheels to grip and steer the car around a turn instead of plowing wide and inching toward Ascari's generous gravel runoff. If you're quickly hopping into the driver's seat and going right onto the track like me, you can't fully trust the car because of the numb steering, despite the rack's entertaining quickness.
That front-end numbness becomes even more challenging when you try to trail brake using the Stradale's carbon-ceramic brakes. It comes standard with the MC20's optional carbon-ceramics, and larger ones are optional as a part of the $13,750 Performance Pack. They're a few millimeters bigger than the GT2 Stradale's standard brakes, and they make the car stop on a dime, but precision and threshold braking is challenging due to their grabbiness. Gently press the brake pedal and there's a bit of deceleration; press it a little harder and you're thrown forward, suddenly becoming almost stationary. The brakes are very effective, but difficult to modulate when given a short time with the car.
Despite the lack of steering and brake feel, the GT2 Stradale grips well and there's always enough power to hoon and sling the back end out. The engine is the same Nettuno twin-turbocharged 3.0-liter V6 as in the MC20, but in the GT2 it produces 10 horsepower more, now up to 631 hp, but 7 fewer pound-feet of torque, down to 531 lb-ft. It's powerful but not particularly exciting or rewarding to rev out to the 8,000-rpm redline. The engine makes peak torque at 3,000 rpm, so high revs don't result in more power. Maserati claims the GT2 Stradale is a tenth of a second quicker than the standard MC20 to 60 mph, achieving 0 to 60 in 2.8 seconds. That's a great stat for a 3,200-pound, rear-wheel-drive car, but that speed and power isn't immediately evident on the race track. Again, maybe more time behind the wheel to build a relationship with the car could change that, but from my brief track experience it's quick but doesn't feel "holy crap please slow down" fast like other exotic track-day specials such as the Porsche 911 GT3 RS and Chevrolet Corvette Z06.
The GT2 Stradale may take some time to trust on track, but at least it looks the part of a track-ready beast. The Maserati name holds clout with normies, too, so anyone who forks over the massive amounts of cash for this sporty-looking supercar will be rewarded with admiring stares. The carbon-fiber heat extractor in the hood, giant boomerang-style adjustable carbon rear wing, redesigned front end, and carbon rear bumper and diffuser all look great. Inspired by the GT2 race car, the updated styling brings with it cooling and downforce benefits. The bold carbon hood allows for increased heat extraction, while the redesigned front end and larger rear fender air intakes increase cooling efficiency for track use. That rear wing generates up to 1,102 pounds of downforce at about 174 mph when in its high drag setting compared to 319 pounds of downforce produced at that speed in the standard MC20, which has no spoiler at the rear. The new front splitter and hood vents increase downforce, too. Despite the added downforce when compared to the MC20, Maserati claims the GT2 Stradale is capable of a maximum speed of 201 mph, only a single mile per hour off the MC20s top speed.
On public roads, the GT2 Stradale is surprisingly comfortable and civilized. Its stiffer suspension isn't punishing in the GT or Sport drive modes, and though you hear a good amount of tire noise it's not deafening. The interior doesn't have carpets, but beyond that it's still comfortable and spacious, and it looks and feels special. Its new carbon bucket seats are intense, but again surprisingly comfortable for what they are. They're available with two different padding sizes, small or large, but hip space is limiting even in the large seats. I have a 32-inch waist size and it was a snug fit for me, but that may be attributed to the way my long legs force me to sit with my knees up. I'm 6-foot-8 and I comfortably fit into the driver's seat with a helmet on, which is a big accomplishment. Comfort levels for longer trips may vary, but 6-way power adjustable comfort seats are also available if long-term comfort is a priority.
The GT2 Stradale's stripped-down interior contributes to a 368-pound weight savings compared to the standard MC20. Maserati claims the GT2 Stradale has a curb weight of about 3,252 pounds compared to the MC20's 3,620-pound heft, which means the GT2 is nearly as light as the latest 911 GT3 RS. The GT2 Stradale's new 20-inch forged aluminum centerlocking wheels, carbon-ceramic brakes, and cool-looking exterior carbon components also help keep the weight down.
Beyond that, there isn't all that much changed between the GT2 Stradale and the standard MC20. The GT2's 10 additional horsepower isn't immediately felt, but nor is the decreased torque, at least. The suspension is the same except for stiffer springs and dampers, and the 8-speed dual-clutch transmission is the same, though Maserati claims it's programmed for quicker shifts. Various software systems have been recalibrated including the ABS and traction control, and new drive modes should help maximize fun while keeping things under control.
If you think the GT2 Stradale comes standard with its maximum performance potential, you've got another thing coming. U.S.-market cars can be optioned with a $13,750 Performance Pack that adds semi-slick Michelin tires, those bigger carbon-ceramic brakes, a special GT2 e-LSD setting, a GT2 Corsa Evo drive mode, and carbon-fiber louvered fenders. It's not a cheap car to begin with, though, so what's a couple thousand dollars between rich folks?
Piloting the GT2 Stradale around Ascari was fun, but the lack of steering feel made it difficult for me to trust the car enough to drive it as hard as I wanted to. Maybe if we had more track time I would have built up that confidence, but in the minimal time provided I didn't want to push this $350,000-ish machine in the way it was designed to be. The short drive back to our hotel left me the most impressed by the car, since its road manners are quite civilized. Hopping into a GT2 Stradale and driving right onto a racetrack isn't the most satisfying experience, but as an overall package it looks rad, drives great on the road, and makes you feel cool. If you have the money and want a cooler, rarer MC20, then you might be happy with the GT2 Stradale. But if you're looking for the most raw and connected driving experience possible, there are other track day special editions that better fulfill that brief.
