Why Pirelli changed F1 US GP trophy design at the last-minute
The last-minute change of trophy design at the F1 United States Grand Prix has been explained.
Pirelli changed its planned trophies for the F1 United States Grand Prix due to last-minute copyright concerns.
F1’s tyre manufacturer had a one-off ‘Heroo’ design commissioned by artist and designer Matteo Macchiavelli for the United States Grand Prix, but they were not presented on the podium after the race.
Instead, race-winner Charles Leclerc was handed a more traditional trophy, while Ferrari teammate Carlos Sainz and Red Bull’s Max Verstappen received Pirelli tyre trophies for finishing second and third.
Pirelli confirmed to Motorsport after Sunday’s grand prix that it and the race promoter decided to drop the trophy after being “made aware of potential similarities with other designs”.
The original press release announcing the special trophy design was also pulled from the Italian tyre company’s website.
Limited edition replicas of the ‘Heroo’ trophy were due to be made available for collectors and fans but is is unclear whether that will still happen.
The trophy closely resembles sculptures and collectibles created by Bearbrick, a brand of collectible designer figures.
