Italy. A sort of homecoming…

“We’re set for two F1 races in Italy this year – starting at Imola this weekend. And as I’m half Italian from my Mom’s side of the family, they’re both going to be something like home events for me.

Like me, my Mom was born in Montreal, but her parents relocated to Canada from Italy. There were lots of Italian influences in my family growing up, and some values we all adopted – like the fact that your family is of the highest importance.

Through my childhood I regularly visited Italy on family holidays, going to the big cities and some less well-known regions. I have great memories of those trips.

Okay I’m biased, but Italy has some of the best, if not the best, food in the world. You can head to a restaurant that might look a bit questionable on the outside, but you’ll almost certainly be served an amazing meal on the inside.

Italian cooking is a case of simplicity done right. Unfortunately, being a driver means whenever I go to Italy I have to try and limit my pasta and pizza intake as it doesn’t fit my diet! Off season though, it’s a different story.

My favourites are the simple dishes. For pasta it’s a spaghetti pomodoro – but only with fresh tomatoes so you get a proper glaze on the pasta. You don’t get that with plain tomato sauce or anything out of a can!

In terms of pizza, I’m a big fan of a margherita base, customised with rocket leaves and sliced prosciutto that gets nice and crispy in the oven. Drizzle a bit of chilli or truffle oil on top to make it perfect.

Afterwards I love a good tiramisu (off-season obviously) but often when I go to cafés and bakeries I tend to find something, dare I say it, like a Nutella croissant or Nutella-based dough balls. Perhaps that’s where the obsession started?

Either of those washed down with a steaming-hot Lavazza is pretty much perfection for me.”