Alex Caffi talks through his EuroNASCAR return with Academy Motorsport and meeting Nelson Piquet Jr. to rekindle his Formula 1 history with Nelson Piquet Sr.
Alex Caffi made an unexpected return to the NASCAR Euro Series as a driver in the 2026 Valencia NASCAR Fest, piloting the No. 5 Ford Mustang for his team Academy Motorsport in the newly-christened V8GP class.
It was Caffi’s first competitive race in nearly seven years, as he last competed in the 2019 NASCAR GP Italy at Franciacorta with Alex Caffi Motorsport – Academy’s previous identity.
Caffi’s status as an V8GP driver was unveiled when EuroNASCAR revealed the list of drivers that were due to compete in Valencia on 12 April. However, in reality, Caffi’s entry had been in the works since his birthday on 18 March.
His one-off return in Valencia was given to Caffi as a surprise birthday present, the Italian revealed in his interview with Andre Wiegold after Race 1.
“This kind of surprise came just one month ago when it was my birthday,” Caffi explained. “My sister and Federico Monti told me “Okay, for a present you can go to race in Valencia”, so I have one month to train myself a little bit more.”
“I’m 62 years old and for three years I didn’t touch the steering wheel [competitively], so I’m very happy because Friday and yesterday were very tough.”
“It’s my first time [in some time] and also I think it’s 15 years since I raced in Valencia. Today I enjoyed it because I was fighting with other guys for the Challenger Trophy. I’m tired, but I’m happy.”
Caffi was not the only ex-Formula 1 driver to be competing in Valencia. Nelson Piquet Jr. was also present for his EuroNASCAR debut with Alumitec Racing.
This gave Caffi the opportunity to have a chat with Piquet Jr., whose father Nelson Piquet Sr. raced in Formula 1 alongside Caffi during his active years in F1.
In an interview with EuroNASCAR’s commentator Mark Werrell, Caffi explained that this opportunity was “great” due to how tight his family’s friendships were with the Piquet’s.
“ It’s very good to have Nelsinho [on the grid],” said Caffi on meeting Piquet Jr. “It’s quite the story because I raced with his father Nelson in Formula One from 1987 to 1992. He was a great world champion for Formula One.”
“We raced in 2015 in a formula championship in Brazil against Nelsinho’s brother Geraldo Piquet and finally here I raced against Nelsinho, so it’s three Piquet’s, the father and the two sons.”
“My wife is also a very good friend of Kelly Piquet. We both lived in Monaco, so sometimes we spent time together. I can say that the Piquet family is part of the Caffi family for this reason.”
The Formula 1 touch with Caffi’s return to EuroNASCAR didn’t stop there as Caffi brought two throwback firesuits for use in the races.
On Saturday, he wore a firesuit carrying the same design that he wore during his time at BMS Scuderia Italia in 1989 – minus the Marlboro logo.
Caffi said that he chose this specifically because 1989 was the year where he finished fourth in the Monaco Grand Prix, his closest result to the podium positions in F1.
He followed the throwback on Sunday by wearing a firesuit inspired by Footwork Arrows, Caffi’s team in his last full-time F1 season in 1991.
Caffi finished both races in 14th and 15th, having never looked out of depth in spite of his age and relative inexperience these days.
This inexperience did lead Caffi to be classified as a Grade C driver, which made him eligible for the Challenger Trophy classification.
Caffi’s finishes brought home two Challenger Trophy podiums, narrowly missing out on a win in Race 2 due to a penalty for leaving the start formation too early. The driver from Rovato is 15th in the standings, 29 points behind championship leader Vittorio Ghirelli.
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