F1 Qatar Airways British Grand Prix Trophies by Alastair Gibson

In 2022 we were proud to produce the trophy for the first-ever Impact League winner of SailGP-made from recycled carbon fibre, used F50 parts, anodised aluminium with a carbon fibre globe delicately balanced on top of a radically deconstructed form of the original trophy.

sailgp.com

In 2023 we were then approached by Motorsport U.K. to make the trophy for the Keith Duckworth award which was ultimately awarded to F1 legend and good friend of Alastair’s- Ross Brawn OBE, at their prestigious Night of Champions event held at the Royal Automobile Club in London.

Shortly after the event, Alastair was approached by Silverstone organisers to make the 2024 Formula 1 Qatar Airways British Grand Prix Trophies- a longtime ambition of Alastair's since his F1 days as Chief Mechanic for BAR and Honda.

This commission includes the 1^st place, 2^nd place and 3^rd place winner’s trophies as well as the constructors trophy. We were also asked to make a special Marshal award, to recognise those who play an essential part in the safety of all Silverstone’s motorsport events from the pits and paddock to trackside.

Much like all of Alastair’s sculptures, the design process starts with used car parts, which provide the inspiration and a base from which to start. The difficulty is that each part is unique, showing different signs of wear and thus, require bespoke fittings and parts. There is a limited amount of F1 parts available, so it is essential that they fit.

The final trophy design is essentially Carbon Art’s take on a traditional podium bouquet of flowers, which in the 1920’s and 30’s was handed to Formula 1 Grand Prix winners directly after the race.

Cars.bonhams.com

After the initial rendering and concept design was approved by Silverstone to ensure all guidelines and regulations were met, we went on to create a 3D prototype model.

This was an essential part of the process as it allows you to iron out any potential issues in the early stages of production-there is no forgiveness when it comes to carbon fibre, which is roughly twice as stiff and five times stronger than steel. This is similar to processes used in the making of Formula 1 parts.

The ‘sculptures’, which we like to call them, are each made up of 44 individual pieces…

An underfloor plank from a raced F1 car, showing unique signs of wear and tear, forms the base of the trophy. We chose the shape of a disc rather than a solid base, so that all the beautiful F1 parts and intricate components can be seen from the inside.

This is then contained by the aluminium I.D (identification) ring; beautifully machined and laser engraved.

A crackle effect paint was used to add depth to the checkered effect which represents the start-finish line at Silverstone Racetrack.

A central carbon fibre post wrapped in a Union Flag is a nod to the origin of Modern F1 racing…the first ever Formula One championship race, the 1950 British Grand Prix was held at Silverstone which saw Nino Farina take first place for the first time!

This post is mounted onto a recycled, hard anodised aluminium disc bell with bespoke 3D printed nylon bobbins, each a unique shape to precisely house ten carbon fibre front wing flaps. The way these branch up and out at gradually increasing heights loosely represents leaves or flower petals.

Cocooned inside the surrounding flaps, sits a turbocharger cold side impeller. Alastair chose to keep all the machining veins and balancing marks visible to maintain authenticity but decided to break and sandblast the sharp edges for a more polished look and for precautionary safety reasons.

Inspired by Olympic medals- each turbocharger is painted in a different colour to represent their respective pole positions; gold for the winner, silver for second place, bronze for third place and graphite for the constructor’s trophy. These are then securely fastened to the post with high end titanium GP bolts.

Finally, names and dates of all the past winners of the 59 British Grand Prix held at Silverstone are placed in order on the vertical carbon fibre front wing flaps. This is to pay homage to the heritage of this fantastic sport and of Silverstone racetrack.

The making of this trophy has significant meaning to Alastair- both as an engineer and as an artist and it represents a full-circle moment in his career, from fighting for the trophy from the pits to designing it!

We hope this trophy will ultimately pay tribute to the rich history of Silverstone, evoke pleasant memories of F1 history and encourage meaningful conversations, which is why we refer to it as a work of art rather than a trophy.