Set foot in any of the big Grand Prix cities on a race weekend and the buzz is palpable; people flying in from around the world to watch the elite drivers hit scintillating speeds before the winner sprays bubbly in jubilation. Billionaires, models and sometimes Rihanna, turn out to see the spectacle. If the sport had lost some of the glamour of Elizabeth Taylor passing through the pits, thankfully the dark ages are over. Order – and allure – has been restored.
Another sign of renaissance is the return of Martini to the Grand Prix, as the sponsor of team Williams. Racing for Williams Martini Racing are drivers Felipe Massa and Valtteri Bottas, both fighting at the top of the Formula One standings, battling with the likes of Lewis Hamilton, Nico Rosberg and Sebastian Vettel. When Massa makes a fly-by appearance at one of Martini’s pop-up terrazza bars in the Mercato Metropolitano in Milan’s molto cool canalside Navigli neighbourhood, you can feel a wave of adrenaline rush through the crowds. If you’re a fan you’ll understand why, but if you’re not, you should know that 300 million people tune in to watch every Grand Prix.
Adding to the drama is model, Israeli X Factor host and Martini Global Race Ambassador Bar Refaeli, who has adoring paparazzi riding on her coattails wherever she goes. Bar is a big race fan and travels the world attending the big events. “I come to Formula Ones and Terrazza Martini and have fun! When they asked me to be an ambassador, I was like, ‘Is this a real job or is this a dream come true?'”
Refaeli is fully devoted to bringing the style back to Formula One and is fully aware of its glamorous heritage. “I think I have an old soul. I always tell my mum that I’m a little jealous that she used to live in the ’70s, because I think life was much simpler, classier, more interesting. You think of royalty going to the races and their style when they came and walked between the pits and had their drinks. I really wanted to live in that time.” If you see her down at a Terrazza for the Grand Prix in Sao Paolo or Sochi, hers is a Martini with tonic.
Capturing Bar, Felipe and Valtteri as they tour the globe for Williams Martini Racing model and photographer Cate Underwood. She’s been shot in editorial for Vogue Italia, Oyster and Harper’s Bazaar, but is now on the other side of the camera, creating a photographic diary akin to the reportage pictures of the world’s fashion weeks that have solidified her reputation.
Cate only got into racing when she started documenting it. “It’s so powerful to be there on the track,” she says. “The speed, the sound, the drama. Once I hear the sounds of cars passing, I get goosebumps. It gets inside of your body and you feel everything that people are feeling around you at the race. I was really nervous beforehand because I’m part of the team now.” Cate and Bar, with their massive Twitter and Instagram followings and fashion kudos, are bringing a new crowd to the races, and it’s something they’re both passionate about. “I like travelling and creating an impact.”
Another world-class member of the Williams Martini Racing is Scottish test driver Susie Wolff, one of only two working female drivers in Formula One. After whipping us round a track at breakneck speeds, Susie says it’s a good time to be in racing. “Formula One is seen as very jet set and glamorous. It’s a certain lifestyle. That includes the fitness, but it also includes having an aperitivo after the race and being on a terrazza in one of the main cities where we’re racing.” And as if it was ever in doubt, she adds, “We have the coolest car on the grid!”
