Unique F1 trophy unveiled for Chinese GP

Formula 1 has once again teamed up with Lenovo to produce a unique trophy for this weekend’s Chinese Grand Prix.

The two parties partnered at last year’s Japanese Grand Prix to construct a similarly distinctive ‘kiss me’ trophy that was activated with lights when the driver kissed the item.

Lenovo teamed up with design company Pininfarina to produce the trophy for the Chinese event.

Lenovo has detailed that the circular shape of the trophy is “inspired by the Chinese's pursuit of 'perfection- yuan man 圆满', symbolizing perfection and happiness, and also reflecting the driver's spirit of unremitting pursuit of perfection and victory on the track”.

As it is also the Year of the Dragon in China, the twist in the circle represents the movement of a dragon while the pulsing light pattern “represents the breath of an awakening dragon”.

The trophy also pays homage to F1’s history as it resembles the laurel wreaths that race winners were presented with in the past around their necks.

“This year, we challenged ourselves to elevate another classic F1 tradition through meaningful design and smarter technology”, said Philip Marchington, executive creative director of corporate marketing at Lenovo.

“It was also important for us to create a trophy that reflected local Chinese culture.”

Added senior vice president of design at Pininfarina Paolo Trevisan: “It was an honour for us to design once again a beautiful and meaningful trophy for Lenovo.

“Our design process aimed at creating a balance between heritage and technology to reward the winners in this glorious sport.”