RACE DEBRIEF

    #ImolaGP might be trending on Twitter ahead of this weekend’s race at the iconic Italian track, but the race’s full title is the Formula 1 Pirelli Gran Premio Del Made In Italy E Dell'emilia Romagna 2021. And title sponsors Pirelli have gone big on celebrating that ‘Made In Italy’ ideal with their stunning trophies for Sunday’s Grand Prix.

    Designed by Italian artist Alice Ronchi and made from beautiful mirror-polished aluminium, the trophies depict lightning bolts, a choice Ronchi said was inspired by 1950s racing cars, the landscape surrounding the Imola circuit and Greek mythology.

    “I saw the lightning bolt as a symbol of power, speed, tension, and force,” said Ronchi, chosen for her previous collaborations with Pirelli HangarBicocca, a Milan-based non-profit foundation promoting contemporary art. “This goes right back to the principal icons that inspired this work: Zeus, the gods, and ancient Greece.

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    “Hopefully, this trophy delivers a new narrative aspect. Through an interpretation of aspects that sum up the driving forces behind every Grand Prix, as well as the use of the lightning bolt and the reference to the myth of Zeus, I wanted to convey a story told in the most expressive way possible.”

    Look out for the trophies when they’re presented to the podium finishers at this weekend’s Emilia Romagna Grand Prix.

    Pirelli puts art on the Formula 1 podium in Imola with trophies from artist Alice Ronchi.