In the wake of a dramatic Dutch Grand Prix, Formula 1 heads to the Temple of Speed this weekend for the Italian Grand Prix at historic Monza.
To help set the stage for the race, one of the sport’s newest partners is launching a new campaign that taps into the history of F1 and the race itself.
Earlier this year, Barilla was announced as the Official Pasta of Formula 1, and this week, Barilla launches the “Tastes Like Family” campaign, which tells the story of Luigi Montanini, a chef who became one of the most recognizable figures in the F1 paddock during the 1970s as he prepared meals for teams and rivals alike.
Dubbed “Pasticcino,” the “first cook of Formula 1” brought the paddock together, a trend Barilla hopes to continue this season, and beyond.
“At Barilla, we’ve always believed that pasta is much more than food: it’s a way of creating closeness, wherever you are,” says Ilaria Lodigiani, Chief Category and Marketing Officer of Barilla. “We chose to open our new campaign with the story of Pasticcino not just because it’s a charming anecdote, but because it’s a true part of Italianity.
”A story that shows how food, even in a place as unexpected as the Formula 1 paddock, can turn strangers into family. It reflects something deeply rooted in our culture, and in Barilla’s purpose for nearly 150 years.”
“Formula 1 has always been a world of rivalry and competition,” says Paolo Barilla, Vice Chairman of the Barilla Group and former F1 driver. “But beyond that, there is space for friendship. Drivers, mechanics, engineers – they would sit down and share a meal. It was the food that created those moments of connection. A simple plate of pasta that made people feel at home, even far from it.”
Pasticcino himself looked back with fondness at those days in the paddock.
“They’d come to me as if they were arriving at their mother’s house. They sat down. For a while, the track, the rivalry, the competition – all of it disappeared. And all that was important then was a plate of pasta, and the laughter of a shared moment,” said Pasticcino.
You can see a portion of the campaign here:
