04/07/2023
NEWS STORY
Alfa Romeo F1 Team Stake heads to Silverstone, the spiritual home of Formula One, for the British Grand Prix. It is a return to origins for Alfa Romeo, the brand winning the inaugural Formula One World Championship race in 1950 with Nino Farina on this very same circuit in Northamptonshire.
British people love a pilgrimage. Every year, hordes of them traipse from every side of the country (and farther afield) to some fields in the middle of nowhere, to set up camp for a long weekend. They carry tents, they come in campervans, caravans; they have sleeping bags, barbecues, fewer or more paraphernalia to make their stay comfortable, or at least something resembling comfort; some even glamp, even though a degree of inconvenience is part of the experience, the martyrdom before redemption: in any case, the how is not as important as the what and, crucially, the why.
Just like their ancestors, trundling to places like Stonehenge for ceremonies led by druids, these folks, congregations of the faithful, amass in what would have been nondescript fields just a mere weeks before, to worship their gods, to pay tribute to their idols, to find enlightenment and see the light. And while the reason for these modern-day pilgrims' journey may be lay, there are certainly quasi-religious tones to the whole experience.
There is something enchanted about sleeping with just a thin sheet of canvas between yourself and the immensity of the universe: to do so while in the midst of tens of thousands, hundreds of thousands of fellow-minded peers is even more special. The campsites are alive around the clock; their buzz, their noise as part of the attraction as the main event the people came to witness. But the event - what an event that is: exciting, rambunctious, headlined by the greatest names in the field, stars shining brighter than the sun - some younger and ambitious; some weathered and glorious, on their last laps of glory.
Is this Glastonbury? Or is it Silverstone? Within a few weeks of each other, Britain goes through experiencing the exhilaration of both, the same spirit, the same passion as broadly in display as the ubiquitous Union Jacks. These show takes place on different stages - names like the Pyramid, Avalon and Park blend with Copse, Maggotts and Luffield - but the real spectacle, that takes place among the people, those tent folks that make these events what they are.
This weekend is a tribute to them: to the fans, their passion, their unique way to live these events. In the tents, the campervans and the yurts, they are the beating heart of Silverstone and of the art of the Great British festival. We're on the stage and we'll put up the show: but what makes the experience is the audience.
We go racing this weekend, and this is for you.
Alessandro Alunni Bravi, Team Representative: "We head to Britain this week, after a challenging weekend in Austria, where our performances didn't quite match what we had shown in previous races. Still, we must keep our spirits up: we are bringing a new, important package to Silverstone, on which the team back at base in Hinwil has been working hard over the past months, and it'll hopefully help us make our way back to the top ten. We have seen how upgrades have been fundamental for our main competitors to make a step forward: that will be our main aim, for the second leg of this back-to-back. We remain confident, and eager to show that Austria just wasn't our weekend, but we still have it in us to battle through the field - and promptly change the tide again."
Valtteri Bottas: "Undoubtedly, we expected more from Austria, as we were coming from a couple of decent results in a row. It was a tough one for the team, as we struggled throughout the whole weekend - and on top of that, also saw the Sunday race being compromised and thus our chances to recover through the field. I am looking forward to racing in Silverstone this weekend, another timeless classic on the calendar. We are bringing a new package there, which should help us regain the form we had shown last month. We know on which areas we need to work on to improve our performance, and everyone in the team, both trackside and back home in Hinwil, has been putting all their efforts on it. It will be crucial to get these upgrades right from the first practice sessions, to put ourselves back in the fight."
Zhou Guanyu: "As we head to Silverstone for the second part of the double header, we are motivated to put the tough weekend in Spielberg behind us. We will have some new parts on the car for this race, which should allow us to make a further step forward: I am keen to get back on track and extracting their full potential. Hopefully, we'll be able to find more pace, which we lacked in Austria. Difficult races can happen; what is important, now, is that we maintain our focus and keep working towards getting back into the top ten right away. Of course, I remember the crash I was involved in last year; that, however, is a closed chapter, and has been ever since I returned home on that same day. This race is important to me, as I have spent so much time in the UK: all my motivation this weekend will go into doing well in a place I know very well."