A story of the extraordinary world of Formula 1.
A number can mark a milestone. But in Formula 1, it can also become a story: of drivers and engineers, of danger and decisions, of spectators and shared rituals, of research and precision. The presentation of the book A Stir of the Soul: Pirelli’s 500 GPs in the F1 World Championship, edited by the Pirelli Foundation and published by Marsilio Arte, took place today in the conference room of the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya, as part of the 2026 Grand Prix. The volume celebrates Pirelli’s 500 races in the World Championship through a rich sequence of images and texts. Many materials come from the Pirelli Historical Archive.
The event brought together Marco Tronchetti Provera, Pirelli Executive Vice President and Chairman of Fondazione Pirelli; Stefano Domenicali, President & CEO of Formula 1®; H. E. Mohammed Ben Sulayem, FIA President, who contributed via video;Jean Todt, United Nations Secretary-General’s Special Envoy for Road Safety; and Nick Heidfeld, former Formula 1 driver, with journalist Tom Clarkson as moderator. During the event, the speakers reflected on the world of Formula 1 and on Pirelli’s relationship with motorsport, each bringing their own testimony and perspective. The result was a journey across eras, circuits, and technical as well as historical aspects, presenting Formula 1 as a powerful form of contemporary imagery and as a story of industry, innovation, and visual culture, looking ahead to future chapters with the same passion that marked its beginnings.
The book also celebrates the 75th anniversary of the Formula 1 World Championship and reconstructs a story within its history. It begins at Silverstone on 13 May 1950, the day the World Championship was born. From that moment on, Pirelli has made its mark in three main periods (1950–1958; 1981–1991; and from 2011 onwards as Global Tyre Partner of the FIA Formula 1 World Championship). Alongside the protagonists on the track – from Alberto Ascari to Juan Manuel Fangio, to Ayrton Senna and Nelson Piquet, through to Lewis Hamilton and Max Verstappen – the book also reveals the work of the technicians, engineers, and mechanics who make every Grand Prix possible. A world of experts who play a crucial role in shaping the competition. The volume is given a distinctive touch by a previously unpublished photographic reportage by Darren Heath devoted to the 2025 British Grand Prix at Silverstone. This contemporary section, created for the anniversary year, forms a visual bridge between memory and the future. The final section presents key metric overviews and infographics: kilometres, victories, records, and statistics. Together they condense decades of competition and, in a concise form, convey the numerical dimension of a total sport.
