Monza presents unique trophies for this weekend's Italian Grand Prix
The Autodromo Internazionale di Monza has presented the four trophies that the first three drivers and the winning constructor will receive at this weekend’s Italian Grand Prix.
The Autodromo Nazionale di Monza is known as the Temple of Speed, an appropriate moniker given that, at the 2003 Italian Grand Prix, Michael Schumacher and his Ferrari set a record for the highest ever average speed over a race distance of 247.585 km/h.
It is therefore not surprising that the trophies that will be presented to the three drivers and the representative of the winning team on the podium this Sunday, will be called “VROOOM.”
Vrooom is an onomatopoeic word that captures the sound of a powerful engine under acceleration, or running high revs, typically associated with any form of motorised vehicle such as a car or motorcycle, evoking the idea of speed, energy and movement.
Ever since 2021, the trophy for the Italian Grand Prix, of which Pirelli is the title sponsor, has been designed by an artist through a collaboration with Pirelli HangarBicocca.
This year, the task was entrusted to Andrea Sala, a highly respected artist in the contemporary art world, whose work is found in important museums and private collections and who has always explored the relationship between art and the history of Italian design and industrial manufacturing.
The Milan-based tyre supplier noted that “work of art he designed, entitled VROOOM represents, in abstract form, the long history of Pirelli tyres, combined with impressions of speed and acceleration. The main part of the trophy, four of which have been produced for the three drivers and the winning team representative, is made from Valchromat with a chromed aluminium base.”
Commenting on the unique design, Sala said: “The ideation and concept for the trophy resulted from a series of site visits to many areas of the Pirelli world, from R&D departments, to the production process to discover more about the world of tyres, from the natural rubber to the materials used in their construction, as well as looking through the Pirelli Foundation archive.
“The name VROOOM captures what I wanted to represent, namely the image of Formula 1 I have always had since I was a child: the start, the cars lined up on the grid, the lights going out and the sprint down to the first corner. The trophy transforms this moment – the starting point for everything, the sprint, the speed – into a sculpture.”
