While Kimi Raikkonen was getting Scuderia Ferrari's 2007 Formula 1 season off to a flying start with a comfortable lights-to-flag victory in the Australian Grand Prix yesterday, sister Fiat Group brand Alfa Romeo was also in action on the Melbourne track. On a day when Italian technology from Maranello dominated the F1 showcase race, more than thirty five Alfa Romeos, including the Alfa 159, 159 Sportwagon and Brera, were in the thick of the frenetic action, being used by the organisers for on-track work and as courtesy vehicles.

Tim Bamford, the CEO of the Australian Grand Prix Corporation, was thrilled that Alfa Romeo would be involved in Melbourne when the new partnership when it was announced late last month. “Alfa Romeo has a long and illustrious motor sport history that is closely linked to Formula One, with the Italian car maker winning the very first Formula One Championship and taking the first post-war title,” said Mr Bamford. “We’re delighted to welcome Alfa to our family of sponsors and look forward to a long and mutually beneficial partnership.”

Alfa’s involvement at the birth of Formula One and its relaunch after the Second World War were integral to creating the world’s leading motor sport series. Today Alfa Romeo is involved in a wide range of motor sport activities, racing its own products in the FIA World Touring Car Championship and supporting the SBK Superbike Championship and the Ducati Racing team. For the "new breed" of Alfa Romeos to be involved in the Australian Grand Prix was a logical step.
 

“With so much of the spirit that drives Alfa Romeo to build stylish performance cars united with its motor sport heritage, forming a relationship with the Australian Grand Prix Corporation as its preferred vehicle partner was a very natural move,” said David Stone, General Manager for Alfa Romeo in Australia prior to the race. “But it’s much more than referencing our motor sport history. The 2007 Formula 1 ING Australian Grand Prix provides a unique opportunity to place our latest products in front of hundreds of thousands of potential car buyers who are strongly motivated by the excitement of motor sport, for whom owning a car is much more than mere transport. They want to own a car that provides exemplary performance, which has style and which has clear and undeniable links to their heroes on the race track, past and present. Alfa Romeo provides all of this and we believe our association with the Australian Grand Prix will become a strong and integral part of Alfa Romeo’s growth in this market.”

Alfa Romeo’s role in the event was much more than parading its cars on the track. Its products provided an essential support service on and off the track and without which the event could not have operated. Alfa Romeo products provided transport for emergency services and marshals on the track, as well as the event managers and officials behind the scenes. In total more than 35 Alfa Romeos were provided to the event, primarily the new Alfa Romeo 159 Sportwagon and Alfa Romeo Brera in their range-topping 3.2 litre V6/four wheel drive versions.