Alfa Romeo F1 Team Stake arrives in Imola for the next round of the 2023 Formula One World Championship, in one of the sport's most iconic and historical venues, the Autodromo Internazionale Enzo e Dino Ferrari on the bank of the Santerno river.

It's Alfa Romeo F1 Team Stake's first of two visits to Italy this season, ahead of the race in Monza in September: the team will be keen to celebrate the Imola weekend alongside its partner, Alfa Romeo, in its home race.

The subtle tension between history and modernity is one that requires skill to manage. Skew any which way, and the result is out of balance: too backwards looking, or too focused on things to come. This difficult balancing act, however, can be very rewarding when done right, when the perfect mix of its ingredients is achieved: and this is what we set out to do in Imola, one of motorsport's shrines.

Imola is a track that boasts an impressive history, dating back to its first race in 1953: it's a circuit born in Italy's motorsport heartland, with the help of Enzo Ferrari himself - there's no bigger endorsement for a track in this country. Still, Imola was never a track to sit on its laurels: as a venue, it had to adapt, evolve, keep in tune with the times - in its layout and its identity. "Auto-motovelodromo Prototipo CONI di Imola" was always a mouthful, and the colloquial name of Circuito del Castellaccio - after a nearby hill - became Autodromo Dino Ferrari in 1970, and finally Autodromo Enzo e Dino Ferrari in 1988, as it played host to events such as the Italian and San Marino Grands Prix and, more recently, the Emilia Romagna Grand Prix. Many a time its corners were changed, with chicanes added, turns reprofiled, sections amended: Imola is a work of evolution, never ending and always morphing, but without ever losing its soul. Imola is Jim Clark and Nigel Mansell; it's Alain Prost and Michael Schumacher. It's obviously Senna. It'll be the champions of tomorrow.

The space between tradition and the future is also one where Alfa Romeo lives and thrives. Since 1910, Alfa Romeo embodies the spirit of noble, Italian sportiness: under its aegis, some of the most iconic cars - both in motorsport and in the automotive industry - have come to life and gone on to inspire generations of car lovers. But Alfa Romeo is strongly focused on the future, with the daring ambition to reinvent sportiness for the 21st century. In the upcoming electrified world, Alfa Romeo cars will still embody passion, thrills, elegance. Alfa Romeo reinvents itself in each new car, without losing track of what makes it the brand it is: each future generation carrying within the spirit of the Alfetta 158 that led the brand from its motorsport beginnings.

We celebrate heading to Imola in this spirit. We honour our history and tradition, with our gaze firmly forward - to great things to come. In a city, Imola, itself combining a historical core with the modernity of its suburbs, we stand on the shoulders of giants and set out to write another page of Alfa Romeo history.

Alessandro Alunni Bravi, Team Representative: "We head to Imola looking forward to another step in terms of performance. Every one of us has been working hard in the time since Miami: the home team in Hinwil has invested considerable time and resources into getting some important upgrades ready in time for this race and it will be crucial to evaluate them and extract the most out of them to gain some competitiveness. Imola is obviously an important race for us: it's the first of our home races for the season and we are looking forward to seeing so many fans cheering for us on the grandstands - they can make a big difference. We can't wait to welcome our partners back in our hospitality - our home away from home, and we want to honour Alfa Romeo on their home ground. All of this gives us an extra motivation boost and we can't wait to turn that into performance on track."

Valtteri Bottas: "I am really looking forward to getting back on track in Imola: the team has been flat out working on the car and we are bringing new parts for our car here - hopefully they'll help us to make an improvement and get back in the fight for points. It is also one of our two home races of the season, and to do well for ourselves and Alfa Romeo in front of our home crowd would be great. I have good memories from last year in Imola: it was our best result of 2022 and one that proved to be very important by the end of the season. It's always great to race here, on an old-school track with so much history. We already showed some progress in Miami, where our single-lap pace was definitely better than in previous races, but there is still work to do. We must keep pushing forward, aiming to continue improving in both qualifying and the race."

Zhou Guanyu: "It was good to see the team showing some progress in Miami, even though there are still some improvements we need to make. The team back at base in Hinwil has been working nonstop on the upgrades for our C43: it's been a big effort from everyone involved and I am very keen to be back on track and see what we can achieve. It is always an honour to be racing in such an historic venue as Imola, supported by the passion of the fans on the grandstands. It's also a home race for our team, which makes it even more special. It will be a tough challenge, as it always is, but we are confident and motivated to make a positive change and get back in the mix to battle for points on Sunday."