La Tavolata: When Barilla hosted an Italian dinner party on the Monza starting grid

The world of Formula 1 is passionate, high-energy and non-stop, so the opportunity to truly slow down and take it all in is one that shouldn’t be passed up. Barilla recognised the unique chance to do just that in a short moment of peace ahead of the Italian Grand Prix.

A fortunate group made up of drivers both past and present, team members, journalists and fans were invited to enjoy an exquisite three-course meal cooked by Michelin-starred chef Massimo Bottura, who admitted that the prospect of cooking pasta perfectly al dente for hundreds of people was a somewhat daunting task.

Before the time for that came, I ventured down the eerily quiet pit lane – usually a place punctuated by the noise of wheel guns and hubbub of mechanics – to the grid entrance, where Barilla representatives handed over a pass labelled ‘La Tavolata’ and a much-needed handheld fan.

We were well into the evening hours, but the tarmac insistently emitted the heat it had absorbed through the day, so I was more than grateful for the token. It was similarly branded with the event name – an Italian term for a large crowd sharing a meal at a single, shared table.

And that was exactly what filled the starting grid. I couldn’t help but take in the enormity of the long table, draped in a white cloth with accents of dark blue, while wine glasses sparkled in the last of the sun’s light. The grandstands were empty, but a Ferrari flag acted as a reminder of the action to come.

The chatter of this F1 microcosm grew louder as I headed towards the iconic five red lights, where small tables were surrounded by stalls offering bruschetta, cured meat, cheese, champagne and breadsticks, all covered by canopies in the same white and blue colourway.

A roaming band made up of four players flexed their talents with crowd-pleasers by The Beatles, visiting each huddle of attendees in turn and making it practically impossible to avoid smiling – even more so when they switched to irresistible Italian classics like Mambo Italiano and Sarà Perché Ti Amo.

After I consumed a borderline embarrassing number of hors d’oeuvres, we were directed to take our seats and inspect the menu. For someone who adores both F1 and food, this experience was my equivalent of a dog hearing the words ‘walk’ or ‘treat’.

Barilla pasta, pesto, dessert, Monza, starting grid… it was getting pretty hard to hide my excitement, and I was far from alone – everyone had a look in their eyes that conveyed an appreciative disbelief at the whole evening.

First up was Fusilloni Al Bronzo al Pesto, which the menu described as a “reinterpretation of traditional Ligurian pesto” with a pea cream and toasted breadcrumbs, creating a “testimony to extraordinary flavours”.

“I'm a little bit stressed because I'm thinking about 35 kilos of pasta that has to come out al dente at least – it's not easy and my hands are sweating,” Bottura conceded in his welcome speech. “I feel a little butterfly in my stomach, but okay, it’s part of the challenge so I'll do it.

“This is exactly the example of the classic Italian Tavolata. You know, we sit together, we share together. This is Italian cuisine and this is the reason because the Italian cuisine has been named UNESCO Heritage. It's not because Italian cuisine is one cuisine. There are 100,000 cuisines in Italy.

“It's their ritual of sitting around the table, sharing a meal in a refectory or in a three Michelin star restaurant. It's the same. Cooking is an act of love, that's it. And when you do it, you do it for your friends, for your family, or for the F1 family.”

He went on to outline the fresh, aromatic herbs that blended together to make the most vibrant green pesto I’ve ever seen, marking the first of two dishes to showcase Barilla pasta. The next was the main course – affectionately titled ‘Lap Two’ to tie in further with our location.

Barilla went above and beyond in their role as an F1 Official Partner by making a limited edition pasta called Gran Ruote. Inspired by the shape of wheels, its spokes are perfectly placed to capture all the sauce, which in this case was a delightfully simple cacio e pepe made from Parmigiano Reggiano and pepper.

Last up was the final lap of the meal: ‘L’essenza del Sole Siciliano’. Bottura described this creation as “a beautiful idea of the power of the sun, of the beauty of Italy”.

“For me, when I think about Italy and I think of the sun, I think Sicily,” he explained. “The whole dessert is like the power of Sicily with all the citrus and almonds and capers and coffee and the fruit of Sicily.”

It was a refreshing conclusion to a night in which I like to think I achieved the aim of La Tavolata – sharing conversations with those from all walks of F1 and coming together to bask in a community unlike any other. Paolo Barilla, a former racer himself, summarised that feeling well with a story from his childhood.

“In 1974 I was there [indicating a nearby grandstand],” he relayed to the crowd of diners. “I wanted to see Formula 1 from very close, but it was far. Two Ferraris were leading – Clay Regazzoni and Niki Lauda – and both of them retired.

“I was 13 years old. I was desperate. Disaster! My first Grand Prix, my heart beating for Ferrari and I see two Ferraris stop at the beginning of the pit lane. In 1975, Ferrari got first place with Clay Regazzoni and third place with Niki and they won the championship.

“And then I go to 1980, when I made the first lap with Formula Fiat Abarth here. Going there to the first chicane, I felt the immensity of this place, the history on my shoulders, and I was amazed by the emotion I felt. I would say that Monza, between the highs and lows, it's an emotional place.

“To have all of you here around the table where we want the people to get together, share the emotion, and then on Sunday they have to fight. The fight is a part of life, but the friendship around the table is very important.”