The world’s greatest motor racing championship has reached its halfway point, and Lewis Hamilton is on top form to defend his Formula One Drivers’ Champion title.
Currently in first place for championship as a whole, the British driver is hoping to go all the way and win for a record-breaking eighth time. This is the 72nd year of the championships, and 23 countries around the world are taking part, with the Belgian Grand Prix scheduled for 29 August 2021. With the competition in full swing, the final Grand Prix will be held in Abu Dhabi on the 12 December.
The prestige for drivers to win the championship is enormous, but so to is the honour of lifting the engraved trophy on the winner’s podium. Commissioned by the Fédération Internationale de l’Automobile in 1955, the Formula One World Championship Drivers’ Trophy was designed and created by London silversmith Fox Silver Limited. It is unusual among engraved awards in that each winning driver’s signatures are inscribed on it, rather than just printed names.
Starting with the first champion in 1950, Giuseppe Farina, the engraved signatures flow in an upward spiral between the victory laurels, which are entwined around the trophy. Each spiral represents a decade of champions. It is made from sterling silver, which has been plated in 24-carat gold, and it is embellished with sodalite, vitreous enamel and cold enamel.
British fans will be following the championship closely in the hopes of watching Hamilton raise the cup in triumph once more.
