Valtteri Bottas recently hooned his Alfa Romeo F1 car through the street of Milan at precisely 5.30 am in the morning. Bottas was on a mission to awaken the entire town where Alfa Romeo was founded 112 years ago.
Unfortunately, Alfa only shared a short video on Instagram, even though it bragged about driving past several iconic attractions, including Piazza Duomo, Piazza San Babila, Porta Nuova, Central Station, and Gattamelata. Obviously, it couldn't miss the site where Alfa was founded, which is now the Italian brand's flagship store.
As it turns out, Alfa Romeo did not release the whole video for a good reason. Alfa kept it in reserve for another historic celebration happening this weekend. The famous Autodromo Nazionale Monza (commonly known as Monza and the Temple of Speed) is celebrating its 100th anniversary.
Alfa calls its Milan stunt a "unique and unconventional tribute to Italian motorsport and one of its most famous temples in the world." Monza is located a mere 12 miles down the road from where Alfa was founded, but the historical significance goes much deeper than that.
Italy hosts two rounds during an F1 season: Imola and Monza. Monza is a much faster circuit, but Imola remains the most infamous as it claimed the lives of Ayrton Senna and Roland Ratzenberger during the 1994 Grand Prix.
The Italian brand's connection with Monza dates back to 3 September 1950, when Alfa Romeo won the first Formula 1 title in history with Nino Farina's Alfetta 158.
Since then, Alfa has been known as a sporty brand, producing epic cars like the 1967 33 Coupe Stradale, 1965 Alfa Romeo Giulia GTA, 1987 75 Turbo Evoluzione, 2003 Alfa Romeo 147 GTA, and the current Giulia Quadrifoglio. The brand is moving away from its sporty image to produce electric vehicles, but Alfa's boss has confirmed that it will produce one last halo sports car.
Alfa's time in F1 will sadly end once the 2023 season is wrapped up. Since the brand is going EV, it likely doesn't see F1 as a marketing opportunity anymore, but it is going out with style. It's currently filming a series of short documentaries showing what happens behind the scenes during an F1 season.
Monza will likely carry on for many years to come. It was one of the first dedicated racing circuits ever built after automotive enthusiasts realized that racing from one town to the next was not a viable business model.
It's the fastest track by a significant margin, and drivers are on full throttle for 80% of the lap. Monza is also one of the few places where an F1 car can reach its maximum speed, usually near the end of the 0.7-mile start/finish straight.
The current lap record is held by Rubens Barrichello, who set a blistering time of 1:21.046 on the 3.62-mile circuit. The Monza Grand Prix takes place this weekend and usually delivers stunning results. Last year McLaren scored its first victory in a decade.
