The peaks of automotive technology find their ultimate testing ground in the Formula 1 World Championship. Around this world, the engineering and mechanical wonders that make the single-seaters so iconic take shape, subsequently transferring this technology down to the thousands of workshops and body shops across our country, which make it their own and adapt it to our everyday lives. Monza knows a thing or two about this: every September, the capital city of Brianza hosts one of the most important Grands Prix in the world. And even though the city may not seemingly compete with the glitz of newer and more spectacular venues, it possesses something invaluable, something more precious: history.
The long red thread that runs through the 100 years of the Autodrome of Monza, connecting the world of F1 to Italy, to Lombardy, and to the many realities surrounding it, also passes through Confartigianato Imprese. For 42 years, this trade association representing artisans has been celebrating the technologies of single-seaters and the entire system connected to them through the Confartigianato Motori Award, an event that finds its home right at the Autodrome on race days. Since 1983, this prestigious recognition has rewarded the protagonists of Formula 1: from those at the front line such as drivers and managers, to those who work hands-on in the car as mechanics and engineers, not forgetting the many professionals who tell the art of speed through photos and words, particularly journalists and photographers.
Over the years, the Confartigianato Motori Award has grown and renewed itself, confirming historic partnerships and creating new agreements. The commitment has always been to narrate the automotive world "from big to small," highlighting new developments and challenges: for instance, it established the most recent Technology and Environment Award, in collaboration with Parco Valle Lambro, which aims to showcase the greener side of the motorsport universe. This commitment has also been renewed each year for the past four editions by awarding some businesses within the Confartigianato Autoriparazione system (repairers, modifiers, body shops, carburetor specialists, auto electricians, and tire specialists) that have managed to build a solid entrepreneurial activity starting from their workshops.
The organization behind this award, which enjoys the respect and appreciation of the entire system, is Apa Confartigianato Imprese, the local branch operating in the areas of Metropolitan Milan and Monza and Brianza. Here, a precise weaving of relationships among institutions, artisans, and F1 professionals brings the historic event to life and places it in an international context. Over four decades of history and a precious Gold Register speak volumes, serving as tangible symbols of an award that is a source of pride for the entire Association.
