A number can mark a milestone. But in Formula 1, it can also become a story: of drivers and engineers, of risks and decisions, of spectators and shared rituals, of research and precision. A Stir of the Soul: Pirelli’s 500 GPs in the F1 World Championship, edited by the Pirelli Foundation and published by Marsilio Arte, celebrates Pirelli’s 500 races in the World Championship through a rich collection of illustrations, many of which come from the Pirelli Historical Archive. It is a story that unfolds like a film, guiding the viewer-reader through decades of racing.

Published in separate English and Italian editions, the book also marks the 75th anniversary of the Formula 1 World Championship. It retraces a story that began at Silverstone on 13 May 1950, when the Championship itself was born, and follows Pirelli’s presence across three major periods. From the early years of the 1950s to the 1980s, and through to today’s challenges, the evolution of motorsport emerges with an almost cinematic rhythm. Close-ups of key figures alternate with sweeping views of legendary circuits, while action sequences capture the sheer thrill of speed. Alongside the drivers – from Alberto Ascari and Juan Manuel Fangio to Ayrton Senna and Nelson Piquet, and on to Lewis Hamilton and Max Verstappen – the book also honours the technicians, engineers, and mechanics who have sustained Pirelli’s long-standing role in Formula 1.

The volume is given a truly distinctive touch by a previously unpublished photographic reportage by Darren Heath at the 2025 Grand Prix at Silverstone. In these images, the roar of engines seems almost visible. The spectacle of the race is lifted to an epic scale, forging a link between past, present, and future. Through photographs that capture the energy and contemporary spirit of racing, Heath tells a story from within the history of F1 itself: racing as an open-air laboratory, the importance of tyres for team strategy, the delicate moment of the pit stops, and the crucial role of the people – on and off the track – who make the spectacle of speed possible. A professional world that is essential to the very fabric of competition.

Alongside the illustrations, A Stir of the Soul is enriched by the voices of its protagonists in institutional and narrative contributions: interviews, testimonies, and analyses portray Formula 1 as a workshop where competition and innovation evolve side by side. The book concludes with key metric overviews and infographics dedicated to the numbers involved: kilometres covered, victories secured, records, and statistics that distil decades of competition into their essence.

This is a book that does more than just record events. It puts its subject on stage, restoring to Formula 1 the visual force of a grand narrative, one that opens onto chapters yet to be written