Austin title sponsor Pirelli improvised at the Formula 1 award ceremony and did not present the trophies originally planned for the top 3 in the Grand Prix
As the title sponsor of the 2024 USA Grand Prix in Austin, Formula 1 tire supplier Pirelli had special trophies made for the top 3 in the main race. But when the award ceremony took place, there was no sign of the special trophies. There was a reason for this: Pirelli had to improvise and replace the originally planned trophies with others at short notice.
What was actually handed out: winner Charles Leclerc received a replacement trophy in the classic cup design. Ferrari’s chief strategist Ravin Jain, as representative of the winning constructor, Carlos Sainz in second place and Max Verstappen in third place each received miniature Pirelli tires, but with different markings: soft for the team, medium for Sainz, hard for Verstappen.
Therefore, together with the Fédération Internationale de l’Automobile (FIA), the decision was made to pre-empt a possible legal dispute and issue alternative trophies.
What was the similarity? The actual trophies showed a character with large ears and hands, as they are also shaped in well-known toy brands. However, a theoretical conflict of interest is said to have been outlined neither with Disney nor Playmobil or Lego as a scenario, but with the Bearbrick brand, which produces figures in the shape of bears. Pirelli itself did not comment on this.
However, Pirelli had repeatedly showcased its actual trophies in the media during the race weekend in Austin: the “Heroo” designs, created by Italian artist Matteo Macchiavelli, were not only exhibited in the Formula 1 paddock at the Circuit of The Americas, but were even given their own accreditations and were driven around the track during the “Pirelli Hot Laps”.
However, every reference to the existence of the Pirelli trophies has since been deleted. Even relevant posts on the Pirelli PR websites can no longer be accessed.