There’s always been a strong relationship between Pirelli and the Monza circuit, which is situated around 20 minutes away from the company’s headquarters in Milan. Less, if you’re going by motorbike or don’t find any traffic (which is harder to achieve, especially during the grand prix weekend). But it wasn’t always like that – as Pirelli was around for many years before the Monza circuit was even thought of.

Giovanni Battista Pirelli founded the company in 1872, right in the centre of Milan. Back then, motorsport didn't even really exist and the pneumatic tyre was only just being invented. But from there, the industry expanded rapidly: Pirelli moved to its present site, in the Bicocca district of Milan, in 1907 (the same year that it claimed its first major motorsport victory, in the Peking to Paris road race).

Just fifteen years later, the Monza track was inaugurated close by in 1922: only the third permanent racing circuit in the world, after Brooklands and Indianapolis. The very first race there took place in September 1922, and Pirelli-equipped Fiat 804s finished first and second, courtesy of Pietro Bordino and Felice Nazzaro. It was the start of a beautiful relationship.