Alfa Romeo: racing, identity, and symbols. One hundred years of consistency

When manufacturers decide to enter their cars into races, they seek distinctive symbols that set them apart. These symbols must stand out among the many that identify a racing car, from the race number to the livery and even the sponsors that came to prominence since the 1970s. This “racing identity” thus becomes part of the brand’s image and evolves over time into an exclusive heritage, rich in fantasies and memories.

Alfa Romeo has masterfully crafted its sporting image with remarkable consistency since 1923. Originally launched in 1910 with the simple Alfa badge combined with the Milanese symbols of the Visconti family and the red cross on a white background of Milan, it became Alfa Romeo in 1918 and was quickly nicknamed the “Casa del Biscione” (House of the Snake), as the logo features a snake, and began its sporting activity very early. This constant presence in races prompted the company to seek an identity through a symbol so profoundly simple that it remains the hallmark of production sport models to this day.

The evolution of the Alfa Romeo badge from 1910 to this day.

This symbol, rooted in Italian superstition during an era when races were very, very dangerous, was none other than the Quadrifoglio (Cloverleaf). A rare anomaly in nature – normally, the Trifolium plant has only three petals – yet within popular folklore, it brings luck to those who find it. What better than to have luck depicted on the car you’re racing with?

1923 Alfa Romeo RL: the first Quadrifoglio

Originally – it appeared for the first time in 1923 on the RL Targa Florio – it was placed in a square with a white background allowing it to stand out against the red colour of the Alfa Romeos officially entered by the Milanese company (international racing regulations at the time required the use of national colours, red for Italy, green for England, blue for France, and white for Germany).

1924 Alfa Romeo P2: the Quadrifoglio becomes triangular

The background was soon revised into the shape of an equilateral triangle, occasionally facing both upwards and downwards. Then the code became unique: an equilateral triangle with the point facing upwards. This solution endured for years and only after the war did the Quadrifoglio appear with an outline or on a different background, for example, a round one, as in the case of the Scarabeo.

1960s: on the Scarabeo, the Quadrifoglio with a round background

As is customary with anything that becomes important for image-building, Alfa Romeo understood that the “code” of the Quadrifoglio alone would resonate primarily with sports enthusiasts. To make the message even clearer, starting from the 1930s, the words Alfa Romeo began to appear on the Company’s racing cars. The choice of font demonstrated astuteness: the application of graceful, elegant characters, in the style of the Twenties, which appeared on the original Alfa cars.

The original Alfa Romeo lettering, on the 6C 1750, taken up today on Formula 1

In this case, the message was enriched with the brand’s history. And it is precisely this writing that was on the Brabham Alfa Romeo Formula 1 car of the 1980s, and more recently, on the Sauber Formula 1 car for which Alfa is a partner. The striking livery unveiled for the 2023 Italian Grand Prix strategically harnessed this visual identity.

Alfa Romeo lettering has appeared in the 1970s on Alfa Romeo racing cars: here the Brabham BT45

Over the years, Alfa Romeo’s racing history has had two moments when the original message has been interrupted or scaled down: those in which the Alfas were entered by Scuderia Ferrari, when the Prancing Horse emblem replaced the Quadrifoglio, and those when Autodelta created and raced Alfa Romeo cars. In this last case, the reasons were also due to a thinly veiled conflict between Carlo Chiti, the engineer entrusted with the sports activities, and the Technical Direction of Alfa. But this is another story that Roarington will tell on another occasion.

The P3 raced by Scuderia Ferrari features the Prancing Horse in place of the Quadrifoglio. Alfa Romeo rediscovers its history in the livery of the 2023 Italian Grand Prix single-seater