Pirelli's 3D-Printed Italian GP Trophy Looks Like a Stack of Washing Up

Pirelli has unveiled the trophy for this weekend's Italian Grand Prix at Monza, and it does not look like any other piece of motorsport silverware. Titled FRAGILE, the podium trophy is a stack of small cups and bowls printed in nylon powder, painted, galvanized, and polished until it gleams like chrome. It does not sit still on a shelf.

Why It Looks Like That

The commission went to Vedovamazzei, the Italian art duo of Stella Scala and Simeone Crispino. Their starting point was the ancient tradition of passing a celebratory drinking cup from hand to hand at a feast. They wanted the trophy to feel like a victory that belongs to a community, not just the driver holding it. The stacked cups and bowls evoke repeated gestures: lap after lap, race after race, a win that is never permanent.

The artists put it plainly: One day, while putting a bowl in the sink, we suddenly realised that the trophy was right there in front of us. The sink saved the aesthetics of the piece.

How It Was Made

The form was drawn, then turned into a 3D-printed structure using nylon powder. After printing, it was painted, galvanized, and polished. The process is closer to industrial additive manufacturing than to traditional sculpture. Pirelli partnered with Pirelli HangarBicocca, the contemporary art museum, for the sixth year running to commission a different Italian artist for the Monza trophies.

Mixed Reactions

Fans on social media have been openly puzzled. Some compared it to a pile of washing up waiting to be dried. Others noted that Lando Norris already has a reputation for breaking trophies on the podium, so this design is either a bold choice or an unfortunate one. The artists anticipated that. They designed the trophy to look unstable because victory itself is fragile, they said. It must be reclaimed every time.