A Five-Pointed Future
In 1932 Pirelli launched Supersport – an entire range of racing tyres. The forerunner? None other than the Stella Bianca, distinguished by a small white star (“stella bianca”) added to the tread pattern of the road model. The symbol was placed on the side of the tyre known as the Stella Bianca Corsa. This was the model that Giuseppe Farina mounted on his Alfa Romeo at Silverstone in 1950, when the first Formula One World Championship was held. An undisputed star until the 1950s, the Stella Bianca scored many important victories with Ferrari and Maserati, dominating world motor racing championships. The Quadrifoglio coupled with the likes of Enzo Ferrari and Tazio Nuvolari became an unbeatable mix. With the car wearing Stella Bianca tyres, of course. Tyres change and the design of the cars has been subject to constant innovation but Alfa Romeo and Pirelli have always been together out on the circuits, right from the outset. In the 1960s, the Stella Bianca – the “Victory Tyre” – left the field open to the Stelvio, which immediately earned itself its nickname as the “Record-Breaker”. But first, the five-pointed white star need one final victory – and it came at the Italian Grand Prix on the Monza circuit with Alberto Ascari in his Ferrari 500.
We might be inclined to think that the life of this tyre, like so many others before and after it, had come to an end. But that was not to be. At the prompting of Ferrari, the Stella Bianca made its return to the racing circuits in 2018. A new model, with the same look as the original – but the look concealed the most advanced technologies developed by the Long P’s Research and Development team. After years of radials, Pirelli Collezione brought the traditional cross-ply structure back to the market, recalling the close bond between tyres made for roads and those designed for racing circuits around the world. The Stella Bianca sure has had a remarkable journey – from track to road, and now back to track. A story with many pages yet to be written.
In 1932 Pirelli launched Supersport – an entire range of racing tyres. The forerunner? None other than the Stella Bianca, distinguished by a small white star (“stella bianca”) added to the tread pattern of the road model. The symbol was placed on the side of the tyre known as the Stella Bianca Corsa. This was the model that Giuseppe Farina mounted on his Alfa Romeo at Silverstone in 1950, when the first Formula One World Championship was held. An undisputed star until the 1950s, the Stella Bianca scored many important victories with Ferrari and Maserati, dominating world motor racing championships. The Quadrifoglio coupled with the likes of Enzo Ferrari and Tazio Nuvolari became an unbeatable mix. With the car wearing Stella Bianca tyres, of course. Tyres change and the design of the cars has been subject to constant innovation but Alfa Romeo and Pirelli have always been together out on the circuits, right from the outset. In the 1960s, the Stella Bianca – the “Victory Tyre” – left the field open to the Stelvio, which immediately earned itself its nickname as the “Record-Breaker”. But first, the five-pointed white star need one final victory – and it came at the Italian Grand Prix on the Monza circuit with Alberto Ascari in his Ferrari 500.
We might be inclined to think that the life of this tyre, like so many others before and after it, had come to an end. But that was not to be. At the prompting of Ferrari, the Stella Bianca made its return to the racing circuits in 2018. A new model, with the same look as the original – but the look concealed the most advanced technologies developed by the Long P’s Research and Development team. After years of radials, Pirelli Collezione brought the traditional cross-ply structure back to the market, recalling the close bond between tyres made for roads and those designed for racing circuits around the world. The Stella Bianca sure has had a remarkable journey – from track to road, and now back to track. A story with many pages yet to be written.
