Our new puzzle: Racing Rarities – A nod to the past

Mostly drawn from the archives of our photo partners XPB and Grand Prix Photo, every week from Tuesday we present a little piece of motorsport history. Tell us who you can recognise (Example: Jo Siffert, Monza, 1970) and join in the guessing game for the honour of it – there are no prizes to be won. Send your answer to: mathias.brunner@speedweek.com. The closing date for entries is midnight on Sunday of the current week.

Entry is free of charge. The competition is open to anyone aged 18 or over. Employees of the participating companies are excluded. The judges’ decision is final.

Any data submitted as part of the quiz will be used solely for the purposes of running the competition and will not be passed on to third parties. Further information can be found in our privacy policy.

Our clue for the new quiz: A driver from yesterday in a car from the day before yesterday, celebrated just a few years ago.

Last week’s challenge was a little different for a change, as we were looking for the World Championship race at which this trophy was awarded and wanted to know from our puzzle experts which artist was behind this design.

Topic of the week

Soon-to-be world champion Kimi Antonelli: The inevitable will then follow in Mexico

The 20-year-old Italian Kimi Antonelli had the chance to secure the 2026 World Championship title at the US Grand Prix. He did everything right: victory in Texas. The title celebrations have nevertheless been postponed. Until Mexico.

Read More

TV Program

Live

Mexico City: Rennen Re-Live

FIA Formula One World Championship

01.11.2026 - 23:15

Diese Trophäe erhielt Max Verstappen nach seinem Sieg in Hockenheim 2019

Foto: Grand Prix Photo

The correct answer from last time: This striking trophy was designed by the artist Angelo Lembo and was awarded to Max Verstappen following the spectacular wet German Grand Prix at Hockenheim in 2019.

The artist said at the time: “I’ve been passionately interested in motorsport for a very long time, particularly Formula 1. When I was first offered the chance to create trophies for F1, I was at once very excited, very anxious, but also very proud to have been chosen. I saw it as a great sign of trust.”

“I’d set myself several goals: to surprise, to convey a message, but also to break with the conformism and banality of traditional trophies. Make way for total freedom! The trophies represent only a small part of it, yet they are nonetheless the culmination of the magnificent spectacle that Formula 1 offers.”

“The specifications for Formula 1 trophies are quite strict in terms of weight and size, but offer complete freedom in terms of style or design. I find that surprising, particularly because Formula 1 always conveys an image of perfection that leaves no room for improvisation, and yet there really are no instructions or restrictions – just total freedom.”

Formula 1 and its trophies – it’s quite something. It’s unforgettable how Max Verstappen described the trophy on the occasion of the Dutch Grand Prix’s return: “I think it’s a bit ugly.”

The trophy, produced in collaboration with Formula 1 sponsor Heineken, was the work of Dutch designer Piet Boon and was intended to underline the premier class’s commitment to sustainability – as it was made exclusively from recycled materials.

At the same time, it forged a link with the past, as its shape was reminiscent of the trophy awarded in 1939 following the first race at Zandvoort. Third key feature: the green colour of sponsor Heineken. The glass of the upper section was made from recycled Heineken bottles, melted down and then hand-blown in Leerdam, the city of glass.

The base was made of plastic: to be precise, plastic from old beer crates. And the wooden box was made from waste plywood. The winner’s name was engraved in sand, as a nod to the circuit’s location in the dunes of Zandvoort. Heineken pulled out all the stops and even produced a short film about the trophy’s creation, featuring Scottish racing legend Sir Jackie Stewart.

As we can see, a great deal of ingenuity went into the trophy, but Red Bull Racing star Max Verstappen was nevertheless unimpressed. When asked about the Zandvoort trophy, he described it as “a bit ugly. “But after all, I’m here for the win, not for the trophy.”

That reminded me of similar comments made in the past by Lewis Hamilton and Sebastian Vettel.

Lewis Hamilton’s words at Silverstone in 2014 remain unforgettable: “Whenever I used to watch the British Grand Prix on TV or look at old videos, I’d see the winner with that fabulous gold trophy. I was particularly looking forward to that after crossing the finish line.”

Except that, seven years ago, instead of the venerable trophy, Lewis was initially presented with something that looked as though it had been cobbled together by a ten-year-old using bits and bobs from the nearest DIY store.

Hamilton quipped: “The trophy looked like plastic; the base fell out straight away – it looked as though it was worth about ten pounds.”

Hearing these words must have made Lord Burns’ stomach churn: he was CEO of Santander Bank in the UK; his company was the main sponsor of the Silverstone Grand Prix and thus responsible for the odd-looking trophy. The British newspapers, too, heaped scorn and ridicule on the contraption, which was probably only considered really attractive by its own designer.

So what is the story behind the British Grand Prix gold cup?

Ever since the first Grand Prix at Silverstone in 1948, the winner has been awarded the so-called Gold Cup – an award from the Royal Automobile Club, “and a winner’s trophy as it should be”, as Lewis Hamilton emphasises.

Two security guards accompany the cup throughout the weekend, from its journey from the elegant Pall Mall clubhouse in London to Silverstone, through the victory ceremony – and then back to Pall Mall again, as the Gold Cup is a trophy that a Formula 1 winner is not allowed to keep.

Sebastian Vettel struck a similar note when it came to winners’ trophies.

‘When I look at old photos, you can see very specific, typical trophies in different countries. It’s the most boring thing when we’re given a trophy by a title sponsor. It looks dreary. I don’t understand it: you see the perimeter advertising everywhere anyway, so why do you need to draw attention to it again?”

“When I first started watching Formula 1 on the telly, a few races had absolutely iconic trophies in terms of design or material. For me, that’s part of the tradition.”