Racing Files

The temple of speed. La Pista Magica. Parabolica. Ascari. Lesmo. It can only be Monza, home to some of the greatest races in single-seater history. The Autodromo Nazionale Monza is famed for its speeds. A track known for low drag set-ups, full-throttle racing, and the occasional slipstream battle, Monza is a true drivers' circuit.

In the early days of the automobile, when motor racing and the motorcar were both in their infancies, aspiring racers took part in transnational and international city to city events run on public roads. Designed to show off the speed and endurance of the autocar to the general public who often lined the streets to watch these demonstrations of man and machine at their finest, road racing also brought with it inherent danger and excitement. From their very inception, city to city road races were linked with both glamour and mortality, as racers lost their lives in pursuit of pace.

Once the dominant force in motor racing, after World War II Alpha Romeo's star began to wane. The Italian marque had come to define motorsport in the first half of the 20th century, but growing competition from Germany, Britain, and France - plus home-grown challenges in the form of Ferrari - meant that Alpha's years at the top were all too brief.

To speak of motorsport without speaking of France is an impossibility. Home to the first motor race to be called a Grand Prix, host of several of history's most iconic race tracks, and a pioneer of city to city road racing, France was critical in the development of motorsport as we know it today.

The 2019 German Grand Prix, held at the Hockenheimring, saw race title sponsors Mercedes-Benz celebrate 125 years in motorsport. While Mercedes are currently the preeminent force in German motor racing, the marque is but one of several to have shaped the world of racing throughout the 20th century.

One of Britain's best-known racing drivers, Sir Jackie Stewart is as respected for his work to improve driver safety standards as he is for his three World Championships. Stewart's career encompassed some of the most dangerous years in the history of Formula 1, and the Scottish driver's 27 impressive F1 wins pale into insignificance when compared with the number of lives he has helped to save.

Designer, engineer, and team boss, Colin Chapman was one of the driving forces behind Formula 1 throughout the 1960s and '70s. A man whose name became synonymous with motorsport innovation, Chapman's racing career began with an unimpressive start behind the wheel before the Briton came to realize that his real talents lay elsewhere.