The trophy for the 2026 Italian Grand Prix has raised quite a few doubts since its presentation, even among the drivers. The artistic choice of vedovamazzei, a duo formed by Stella Scala and Simeone Crispino, did not convince despite the reasons provided by the artists selected by Pirelli, and there were some jokes on Thursday in Monza, starting with Kimi Antonelli.
Read more Schumacher and his legacy that still lives on in Ferrari and F1
Antonelli and that doubt that it was ‘fake‘
Antonelli was among the first to comment on the design of the Monza trophy, on the sidelines of his meeting with the Italian press, which was also attended by FormulaPassion.it.
“The trophy? The one with the bowls? At first I thought it was fake, the work of AI, then I realized it was real!” Antonelli immediately exclaimed, before correcting himself by focusing on its meaning.
“The idea behind it is cool, it’s very beautiful because it represents the fragility of victory and the fact that it is always something to be built. I like it, even if the shape is unusual. In any case, I hope to be able to take the trophy on Sunday and bring it home.”
Read more Seat at risk: it could disappear by 2029
Getting the trophy will be a tough mission
It will not be easy for Antonelli to get one of the three trophies, especially because of the penalty that will force him to start from the back of the grid in Monza. A rational decision, which nevertheless takes some pressure off the home Grand Prix and will allow him to approach the weekend in a completely different way.
“It will definitely be a weekend structured differently for me. We will work a little differently than usual: we can focus more on setup tests, even during the sessions, since we can afford it, because we don’t necessarily have to find that setup that allows us to be fast also in qualifying.
We will focus on a setup that allows me to be fast in the race. It will be interesting, different: I would have preferred to fight in qualifying as well, but anyway it was the best time to do it.”
Read more Verstappen, stays in the boat for 2026: “We are already thinking about next year”
