The British GP is one of the oldest and most prestigious races on the F1 calendar. Featuring as one of the venues, Silverstone has been part of the circus almost every year since 1950. However, there is another factor that makes the veteran race special and unique. Every year, the British Grand Prix winner is awarded not one, but two trophies.
It is not a double incentive for the drivers. Despite picking up the Victorian-style double-handle sterling silver trophy, the drivers have to hand it back for it to be displayed in the Royal Automobile Club. However, drivers do get to take another trophy home which is presented by the principal sponsor of the British GP every year.
The British GP trophy presented by the principal sponsor
The current trophy holder and winner of the last British GP edition is Max Verstappen. The Dutchman took home the trophy which was presented by Aramco, the 2023 event’s title sponsor. It was a sleek black coloured modern trophy in a vase-like design. The trophy’s top was designed in the shape of Aramco’s ‘a’ giving it the personal touch.
This design was the same for all podium finishers and the winning constructor trophy. The color scheme and size of the trophy were the only differentiator which is often the case. This scenario was similar in 2022 when Carlos Sainz won the 2022 British GP, sponsored by Lenovo. It was the Spaniard’s first-ever Grand Prix win and he took home a silver-colored trophy.
The Lenovo-designed 2022 trophy was a 3D rectangular structure. It also featured some incomprehensible letters protruding out of it among which only “O” was the most obvious letter.
While the trophy brought a smile to the 29-year-old’s face, it was disliked by the fans on social media. The design was awkward and confusing and only after a keen look read out to be Lenovo.
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The not-so-subtle ode to the title sponsors took away from the celebration of the race winner and the British GP. However, luckily for the Spaniard, this isn’t the only trophy he was photographed with. The main trophy that every driver wants to get their hands on, was also part of his first race win’s podium celebration.
The prestigious British Grand Prix’s golden trophy
The Royal Automobile Club (RAC)’s golden British GP trophy has been part of the event since the first post-war race dating back to 1948. It’s common knowledge now that it’s awarded to the race winner to this day, but what many don’t know is that they cannot take it home.
As described earlier, the large ornate trophy is an example of a Victorian two-handled cup. It is thinly covered with the hallmarked sterling silver gilt which was made first in 1871 in London and covered in 1899. The classical urn-shaped design is decorated with eight lobes in the upper half. It also features an engraved floral design on each hand.
The lower half of the cup also has four round bead-bordered insignias. The front-facing one is engraved with the title of the trophy. Meanwhile, the cover of the cup mirrors the upper body and has eight lobes rising to large stylized types of fruit.
The entire cup is mounted on a polished mahogany base with a gold-plated plinth band. The band is engraved with the winners’ names from 1948 to 2005. A larger base was introduced to accommodate the names of the winners post-2005.
Hands on the #BritishGP trophy and he’s not letting go! pic.twitter.com/eD3c2kQAcs
— Mercedes-AMG PETRONAS F1 Team (@MercedesAMGF1) July 18, 2021
It was first presented at the Richmond Horse Show in 1898 and made its first appearance in Formula 1 in 1973. However, the trophy always is returned to the RAC which is where it is housed.
If it were the official trophy that was made every year for the teams and the drivers to take home, Lewis Hamilton alone would have eight of these. In fact, back in 2015, the seven-time champion even rallied to get the RAC Cup back on podium celebrations.
However, little is known about the origin of the trophy. Many believe it was donated to the Club by Sir Charles Rolls, co-founder of the famed Rolls Royce Motor Company.
