Alfa Romeo gives its youngest sponsor a special day in Suzuka

Phillip van Osten 15/10/2022 at 13:4215/10/2022 at 13:14

It all started with a special letter sent in 2019 to Hinwil from Japan and addressed to Alfa Romeo team boss Frédéric Vasseur.

Sitting at his desk, the Frenchman duly unsealed the envelope which contained 19 euros and a short note, signed 'Goto', in which the sender expressed his love and support for the Alfa Romeo squad, his favorite F1 team.

The young fan wished to help the Swiss outfit improve its fortunes during a season of struggles, hence the money - or Goto's hard-earned savings - included in the envelope.

"Sorry that I could not save more money for the improvement of the team," he wrote.

Vasseur was overwhelmed by the missive and donation and wished to express his gratitude towards his team's biggest fan, but unfortunately there was no surname, email or return address on the envelope.

The Hinwil outfit then set about tracking down Goto through its social media channels, an operation that proved successful.

Upon Formula 1's return to Japan for the first time in three years, Goto and his family were invited to Suzuka as special guests of Vasseur and the Alfa Romeo team.

And as you'll see in the video below, Alfa gave young Goto "the place he deserved" as one of the team's sponsors...