Pirelli serves up 'FRAGILE' crockery trophy for Monza podium

F1 tire supplier Pirelli, the title sponsor of this year's Italian Grand Prix and the company's home race, has unveiled a trophy for the 2026 event that F1 fans will not soon forget — a precarious pile of silvery cups and bowls.

Named FRAGILE, the trophy is the work of artistic duo Vedovamazzei — Stella Scala and Simeone Crispino — and was commissioned in conjunction with the art gallery that occupies one of Pirelli's former tire factories in Milan. Pirelli has supplied the Monza trophy for the past six years.

"The commission was awarded to Vedovamazzei, the duo formed by Scala and Crispino, whose artistic practice combines irony with an ability to capture the contradictions and complexities of reality," Pirelli's news release said. "Their works often reinterpret everyday objects, highlighting the world's paradoxical aspects. FRAGILE is precisely a layered composition of household objects — cups and small bowls — that take on an unsteady-looking vertical form when stacked on top of each other."

The trophy is made from nylon powder that was "painted, galvanized, and polished until it became reflective." Its design draws on "the ancient tradition of passing a celebratory cup from hand to hand," Pirelli said, describing it as a large drinking vessel that "created a sense of shared celebration and festivity."

The piece pricks the absurdity of F1 nicely while adding a sense of normality often lacking in a world of high-tech machines and big-money deals — even if it sits awkwardly against the sport's star-lionizing "Piranha Club" ethos.