The roar of engines, the smell of gasoline, and the high-speed drama of the Italian GT Championship have arrived on Netflix. Motorvalley, the new six-episode Italian series from Groenlandia Production, premiered globally on February 10, 2026. Created by Matteo Rovere, Francesca Manieri, and Gianluca Bernardini, the show follows three people who have hit rock bottom but share one thing: a desperate need for speed.
Viewers are immediately asking who brings these broken yet driven characters to life. The series is led by Luca Argentero, Giulia Michelini, and breakout star Caterina Forza, supported by a deep bench of Italian cinema veterans and even real-life racing personalities. This guide breaks down exactly who plays who, the challenges the actors faced, and where you recognize them from.
The Three Drivers Seeking Redemption
Luca Argentero is Arturo “Barnie” Benini
Luca Argentero steps away from his comforting white coat as Dr. Andrea Fanti in the hit Rai1 series Doc – Nelle tue mani to play Arturo Benini. Arturo is a former racing legend who walked away from the sport after a tragic accident killed his best friend on the track. Now buried in debt and working small jobs to support his father, he is pulled back into the paddock by Elena Dionisi to train a raw, young driver.
Argentero admits this role was a sharp turn from his usual parts. He told Cinematografo that Arturo is “a character who starts out defeated and tries to get his head up,” which is very different from the “clean and reassuring” characters he usually plays . To prepare, he did not rewatch Veloce come il vento (the 2016 film by Rovere set in the same universe) but instead studied Million Dollar Baby to understand the complicated bond between a trainer and a trainee .
A fun detail? Argentero admitted on Che tempo che fa that he had never sat in a sports car before this series. His friends tease him for being a terrible driver. On the day he was supposed to do a warm-up lap on a real circuit, the driver taking him out crashed into a wall. Argentero took it as a sign and refused to ever drive a race car himself .
Giulia Michelini is Elena Dionisi
Giulia Michelini plays Elena Dionisi, the determined heir of the Dionisi racing team. After a past mistake cost her father a championship, Elena was pushed out of the family business by her brother, Guilio. The series follows her fight to build her own team from scratch and beat her brother on the track.
Michelini is widely recognized by Italian audiences for her long-running role as Rosy Abate in Squadra antimafia – Palermo oggi. She describes Elena as having “electric energy” and being willing to do anything to win . Unlike her character, Michelini says she is only competitive when playing board games in real life .
She also highlighted how important it was to play a female mechanical engineer and team manager. She told Adnkronos that bringing more women into this male-dominated world on screen is necessary today .
Caterina Forza is Blu Venturi
Caterina Forza is the discovery of Motorvalley. She plays Blu Venturi, a hot-headed young woman just released from prison. Blu has natural talent behind the wheel but is filled with rage, especially toward Arturo, whom she blames for her father’s death on the track years ago.
Forza previously appeared in the Amazon Prime Video series Prisma, where she played Nina. For Motorvalley, she underwent intense physical training. She hit the weight room daily for weeks. “The scale went up a lot and it was all muscle. A huge satisfaction, I didn’t think I could do it,” she shared .
She also performed many of her own driving stunts. She took sports driving lessons and drove a race car on ice and snow with Argentero in the passenger seat. “I left him speechless,” she laughed . Forza grew up watching MotoGP instead of soccer, so the world of motorsports was not foreign to her.
The Family and The Secrets
Giovanna Mezzogiorno is Arianna
Giovanna Mezzogiorno joins the cast as Arianna, Blu’s mother who abandoned her as a child. Arianna reappears in Blu’s life right as the young driver starts finding success, bringing old wounds and a hidden secret with her.
Mezzogiorno is one of Italy’s most acclaimed actresses, known internationally for The Face of an Angel, Love in the Time of Cholera, and Vincere. Her presence adds serious dramatic weight to the series.
Giuseppe Spata is Guilio Dionisi
Giuseppe Spata plays Guilio Dionisi, Elena’s brother who took control of the Dionisi empire after their father’s death. Unlike Elena, Guilio is cautious and unwilling to take financial risks, creating constant tension between the siblings.
Spata is no stranger to Italian crime dramas, having appeared in La mafia uccide solo d’estate and the Teresa Battaglia series Fiori sopra l’inferno and Ninfa dormiente.
The Supporting Crew and Rival Drivers
Andrea Montovoli is Filippo
Andrea Montovoli plays Filippo, a member of Elena’s small but dedicated racing team. Montovoli is a familiar face on Italian television, with roles in Che Dio ci aiuti and Un passo dal cielo.
Davide Donin is Ahmed
Davide Donin appears as Ahmed, a key mechanic who believes in Elena’s project when few others will.
Diego Ribon and Stefano Abbati
Veteran actors Diego Ribon and Stefano Abbati appear in supporting roles within the racing world, adding authority and experience to the paddock scenes.
Real Racers Playing Themselves
In a smart move for authenticity, Motorvalley cast actual motorsports personalities.
Alberto Naska, a popular Italian racing driver and content creator with millions of followers, appears in the series. His involvement bridges the gap between traditional TV audiences and younger car culture fans who follow him on YouTube and Twitch .
Simone Tonoli, another driver and creator, is also part of the cast. Their presence helps ground the high-speed action in reality.
The Creative Team Behind the Wheel
Motorvalley is directed by a trio: Matteo Rovere, Pippo Mezzapesa, and Lyda Patitucci. Rovere, who directed Veloce come il vento a decade ago, returned to the Motor Valley region because, as he said, “that film stayed in our skin.” He insisted on shooting on location at real circuits like Imola, Mugello, and Vallelunga because he believes strongly in the analog aspects of action scenes .
The script comes from Francesca Manieri, Matteo Rovere, Gianluca Bernardini, Michela Straniero, and Erika Z. Galli. Manieri described the series as a mix of “car action, family drama, and coming-of-age,” noting that while sports stories often follow the Rocky blueprint, they wanted to keep the tension between epic racing and human roots alive .
The Dialect Coach Who Saved the Cast
One name that came up repeatedly in interviews was Stefano Alessandroni. He served as the dialect coach for the entire main cast. The series is set in Emilia-Romagna, home of the real Motor Valley (Ferrari, Lamborghini, Ducati), and the producers wanted an authentic Romagnolo accent.
Argentero joked that Alessandroni “saved us from making a bad impression” . Michelini explained that the goal was not to mimic a specific accent perfectly but to find a cadence that felt natural . For Caterina Forza, who is Roman, the dialect was the hardest part of the job .
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Where to Watch Motorvalley
All six episodes of Motorvalley are available for streaming now on Netflix.
Global release dates:
- United States, United Kingdom, Canada, Australia, India: February 10, 2026
- Italy: February 10, 2026
- Latin America and Europe: February 10, 2026
The series runs approximately 45-50 minutes per episode.
Why This Cast Works
Motorvalley mixes established stars with fresh talent and real-world experts. Argentero brings the audience with him—viewers who love him as the kind Doc now get to see him play a man who is cold, broken, and hard to like. Michelini represents the determined underdog, a woman fighting the old boys’ club with her brain and her wrench. Caterina Forza is the discovery; she has the physicality and the edge to play a girl who would rather crash than slow down.
The supporting cast, from Giovanna Mezzogiorno to Alberto Naska, fills out a world that feels both cinematic and authentic. This is not just a show about cars; it is a show about people who use cars to run away from their past or chase a future.
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