©AlfaRomeo
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...
Red Bull-Ford has retained its position as Formula 1’s power unit benchmark after the FIA…
Spain’s new Madring has yet to host its first Formula 1 race, but FIA F3…
Mark Webber’s role in Oscar Piastri’s career is not simply about managing the McLaren driver’s…
Had Niki Lauda been given the good fortune to read the next day's newspaper on…
Few places in Formula 1 carry as much emotional weight for Ferrari as Monza, and…
Red Bull has been forced to confront an uncomfortable reality after the Dutch Grand Prix,…