Details of Lando Norris’ One-of-a-Kind Monza GP Pole Position Ring

Lando Norris secured pole position at the Italian GP and received a special ring following the qualifying session on Saturday. The ring was part of a collaboration with Pirelli, who present an award to pole-sitters after qualifying sessions.

While the Italian tiremakers normally present tires, they chose to do something special for their ‘home’ GP — a unique ring. “The Queen’s Ring”, as it was called, was forged and designed by master goldsmith Guido Guzzi from Monza. The goldsmith drew inspiration from the Crown of Lombardy, and incorporated elements related to the Italian GP.

“The project was born from the objective consideration that the drivers are the modern knights and the Grand Prix is the modern tournament where Knights challenged each other,” Monzanet.it reported.

The ring was crafted from gold with precious stones embedded into it. The pattern mimicked the design of the F1 chequered flag, whereas the colors of the stones paid homage to the Italian flag. It was also a tribute to the rich history of Monza.

“The queen’s ring harks back to the idea of ​​the Lombard history of our city. Queen Teodolinda and everything to come,” its description read.

The ring was also personalized for Norris. After the ceremony in which he got it, Norris sat down with the goldsmith, who engraved his name into the ring. To check its fitting, he asked Norris, “Which finger do you like the most?”

The Briton sarcastically showed his middle finger to Guzzi, in response.

It was all in good jest, as Guzzi began explaining the intricacies of the ring to Norris, who keenly heard the master. A truly memorable prize for Norris, who would be hoping to leave Monza with the ring, and also the winner’s trophy by finishing P1 at the Italian GP on Sunday.