In the landscape of Italian motorsport, it’s hard not to know Alberto Fontana, better known as Naska. During the FX Racing Weekend in Vallelunga, we had the privilege of speaking with a young man who, starting from scratch, managed to build his own path toward fulfilling his greatest dream: becoming a professional racing driver.
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Who is Alberto Naska?
And in case you don’t know Alberto yet, let us introduce him.
Born in 1990, he’s had a clear dream since he was a boy: to become a racing driver. An ambitious goal, matched only by the challenges of achieving it. Motorsport, as we know, is a ruthless and extremely expensive sport, accessible to few and even less sustainable over time. His family couldn’t afford to support him in this pursuit. But in Naska’s vocabulary, “give up” doesn’t exist.
Alberto Naska began his motorsport journey in 2006 as a virtual driver and videomaker, nurturing the dream of sitting one day behind the wheel of a real single-seater. In 2012, he won a talent show organized by Abarth, earning a road car as a prize, which he soon sold to fund new projects. The following year, he founded RaceBooking.net, a website he describes as “the home of drivers,” giving increasing visibility to amateur racing championships in Italy, often overlooked by mainstream media.
The turning point came: in 2016 Alberto launched his YouTube channel, initially just for fun. But thanks to his passion and relentless dedication, companies began to take notice and chose to sponsor his racing career: the rest, as they say, is history.
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The Thrill and Joy of Driving
It doesn’t matter what track he’s on or what vehicle he’s driving. Once Alberto is on track, he becomes the happiest person in the world. We live through emotions, in our everyday lives and in countless other moments. We wanted to explore this theme, and when asked about which was his most thrilling race and why, Alberto didn’t hesitate to answer.
“People usually say the best race is always the next one. I believe that too, but right now, despite all the car races I’ve done so far, none have topped the final motorcycle race in the 2019 Race Attack, when I won the championship in the last round thanks to a combination of factors.”
In recent years, Naska has had the chance to drive a wide range of race cars: from the Lotus Emira GT4 to EuroNascar, including the Legend Car and many others. But among them all, which one gave him the most fun and made him feel truly at ease?
“It’s hard to answer that question because each car has something special for a different reason. I could rank them ten times and come up with a different list each time. The most thrilling was the GT3, but it was just one race, an anonymous one, where the experience was emotional but not necessarily fun. EuroNascar was incredible: it was my first European championship, with lots of amazing races and real battles, just like this year with the GT4, given the incredible level of competition. But if I had to tell you which races were the most fun overall, with the most overtakes, it’s definitely the Legend cars.”
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Life as a YouTuber and Racing Driver
Alberto Naska, as mentioned earlier, isn’t just a racing driver. He’s also the most followed motorsport YouTuber in Italy. But this role comes with a demanding schedule: from early morning to late at night. So how hard is it to balance the life of a professional driver with that of a content creator?
“Challenges have changed over time. At first, aside from the cameraman who followed me, I managed everything on my own, and it was exhausting. Especially when I raced motorcycles: mentally, it was much harder to handle than driving a car. Today, the main challenge is different: as I compete in increasingly high-level championships, and even in those weere once considered lower-tier, I find myself up against incredibly skilled drivers who have reached a very high standard.
The problem is that I’m facing increasingly stronger opponents, but because of my work as a content creator, I can’t do track testing, for example. Inevitably, I lose a bit of competitiveness, since 90% of my time is spent looking for sponsors to keep racing. If I could just be Max Verstappen, I wouldn’t be as fast as him, but I’d definitely be faster than I am now.”
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“Has becoming a public figure completely changed your daily routine?”
“Honestly, my daily life hasn’t really changed. For me, everyday life is still the same. It’s just the work, the rewards, and therefore the problems that have evolved. Maybe something has shifted during race weekends, even though I already had a solid following from my very first race.
It becomes hard to manage because sometimes, even when I set specific availability times, people interrupt me while I’m with the engineers or in my pre-race mental zone. I’m here to do a very demanding job: racing and winning across all categories. The biggest challenge is that we’re in a semi-professional environment, where the constraints of Formula 1 don’t exist, and that, for me, is the hardest part to handle.”
The time Alberto Naska devotes to content creation also takes a toll on his training: a fundamental aspect of any athlete’s life. He’s fully aware of it, but finding a balance is tough. In this regard, stepping away from motorcycle racing has brought a small advantage.
“I train very little and poorly,” he admits.“I always say that driving a car feels like going on vacation, whereas riding a motorcycle is much harder to manage, both mentally and physically.”
Driving a car is so much less demanding than riding a motorcycle that I can still be competitive even without training. The real issue is that I work so much during the week that, when I finish around 10 p.m., I’m just too exhausted to train. Content creation takes up so much of my time and energy that I can’t train the way I should. It’s a short blanket: I could do less content creation and train more, but then I might not have the budget to race in one more championship.”
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The hardest moment
The hardest moment of Alberto’s carreer has a precise date: 19 July 2020. A Sunday that marked his final motorcycle race. At the second corner in Misano, Alberto suffered a brutal crash, resulting in a serious injury to his talus bone, an injury that still causes him pain to this day. That period was incredibly tough: between the pandemic, a long rehabilitation process, and multiple surgeries, it felt as though he had entered a tunnel with no way out.
“The trauma hit me right in that month. It was the only month of freedom the government had given us, and I spent it in bed with a broken foot, under painkillers. Then, just as I started walking again, we were put back into lockdown. That year was truly a torture.
Even today, if I do housework or race over a weekend, I feel pain that same evening or the next day. This injury has kept me from doing a lot of things, even something as simple as a mountain hike. But in the end, you adapt.”
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Between Dreams and Fans
The Formula X Racing Weekend held from September 19–21 is just the latest in a long series of events, including ACI races and many others, that have seen a growing number of fans trackside. Alberto Naska is thrilled by this trend and hopes these numbers will continue to rise.
“In recent years, many motorsport enthusiasts have become increasingly interested in ACI weekends and similar events, showing a growing desire to understand the true spirit of motorsport. This has been made possible thanks to you as well, bringing many young people and talents closer to the sport, or thanks to talents like Kimi Antonelli, who grew up through these events.
At the same time, we’ve seen more and more restrictions in Formula 1, with ticket prices becoming more expensive. Regardless of the fact that admission here at Vallelunga is free, what do you think these weekends can offer to the public? And why should people choose to attend them?”
“The great thing about coming to watch these races is that you find yourself in a pleasant, wholesome environment: you see race cars, enjoy a show, and that’s the true essence of racing. Seeing it live either sparks or strengthens your passion for motorsport. I’d love to see these weekends grow, with more attractions.
In my opinion, when it comes to entertainment, we should learn from the British. They put on incredible shows. I remember Brands Hatch, it was absolutely amazing. Unfortunately in Italy there’s a lot of bureaucracy that makes it hard to work. I realize it’s like trying to cultivate on barren soil.”
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“We started by talking about emotions, so let’s end with dreams. You’ve achieved many of them, both in your personal life and as a driver. Do you still have any wishes you’d like to fulfill in motorsport?”
“Yes. I want to race in the 24 Hours of Le Mans.”
Read also: Emanuele Pirro | Exclusive interview between past, present and future
