The Pirelli Foundation is publishing “500 Grand Prix with Pirelli” through Marsilio Arte, a landmark book that combines photographic archives, tire technology, and corporate culture. Racing as a way of life.
The Archive as Raw Material
There are few industries where archives hold such tangible value as in auto racing. A 1984 tire used by Ayrton Senna in Monaco is not a museum artifact: it is the physical trace of a decision made at 180 km/h, of a rubber compound that either did or did not respond to a stress the teams had not anticipated. The Fondazione Pirelli knows this better than anyone, and it is this knowledge that gives its new book its depth.
Published by Marsilio Arte—one of the most respected publishers in the field of Italian cultural and industrial monographs—“500 Grand Prix with Pirelli” is not a catalog of victories. It is a mixed archive: paddock photographs, technical cross-sections of tires, engineers’ correspondence, driver portraits, and test results. A history of F1 told from the garages and laboratories rather than from the podiums.
Pirelli in F1: The Tire Manufacturer as a Narrative Player
Pirelli’s relationship with Formula 1 is unique. As the sole official tire supplier since 2011—a position that has earned it both praise and criticism, depending on the season and any failures—Pirelli is not just another tire manufacturer. It is one of the few players with a cross-functional role that knows all the teams from the inside, has data on every track and every instance of tire degradation, and whose name appears in every race report, whether glorious or chaotic.
This book is also a way of embracing that stance. Pirelli doesn’t seek to showcase its victories—it can’t, since it supplies everyone. Instead, it showcases its work, its archives, and its constant presence on the teams of both the winners and those who have never won. It’s a form of industrial humility that’s rare in racing culture.
Marsilio Arte and the Dignity of the Corporate Book
It is no coincidence that Pirelli chose Marsilio Arte to publish this book. This publishing house—founded in Venice and renowned for its artist monographs and publications on Italy’s industrial heritage—upholds editorial standards that go beyond the concept of a corporate gift book. The result is a book designed to stand the test of time on a coffee table and to be read again and again, not merely to decorate a waiting room.
It’s a difference that matters. Corporate books have often been the poor relation of cultural publishing, sacrificing depth for celebration. Pirelli, in collaboration with Marsilio Arte, has chosen a different path: that of a book that stands on its own merits, regardless of its sponsor—whether you’re passionate about F1, industrial history, or photography.
“500 Grand Prix with Pirelli,” Fondazione Pirelli, published by Marsilio Arte. Available in bookstores and at racetracks where memories still live on.
Cette publication est également disponible en :
