Car sound inspires the F1 São Paulo GP trophy
Made with high technology, the pure titanium piece brings sporting, cultural, and even geographical references.
The drivers who take the podium at the Formula 1 MSC Cruises São Paulo Grand Prix 2026 will receive in their hands one of the most sophisticated pieces ever specially crafted for a race in the category. This year’s trophy was made with an innovative technology called Selective Laser Melting, and was inspired by the sound of the Formula 1 car engines, in addition to featuring several sporting, cultural, and even geographical references. The Brazilian round, the 20th of the World Championship, takes place at the Interlagos circuit on November 06, 07, and 08.
Made of titanium, the piece is inspired by an exhaust manifold of a V10 engine, which marked the history of Formula 1 with its powerful sound. Five tubes join in a single contour amidst curves that refer to the Interlagos circuit and the history of Brazilian motorsport. At the top end, the trophy shows the famous “Senna S” curve. From another angle, the “wave” of the piece looks like the movement of the final checkered flag of a race.
The curves of the tubes also resemble a musical note, both in reference to the sound of the roaring engines and to Brazilian music, world-famous for its rhythms and vibration. It is also possible to notice, looking at the trophy from the front, the silhouette of the map of Brazil, with the outline of the coast. And the track’s kerbs “emerge” at the base of the piece.
“As we see it from other angles, the trophy tells a new narrative. Looking from above, we pay homage to the most iconic curve of Interlagos, which is the ‘Senna S’. We have the representation of the topography we see on TV, which is a descent. When we turn to the other side, the piece resembles a waving flag, the victory flag,” says designer Fábio Castellotti, one of the three people responsible for the project. The trophy, also conceived by Fernando Lambiasi and Gabriel Scholab, mixes motorsport references with music and the city of São Paulo itself.
“The lines resolve in a counter-clockwise direction, which has everything to do with Interlagos, one of the rare circuits with a counter-clockwise layout. And we also have a mention of the initial ‘S’ and ‘P’ of the city of São Paulo,” explains Castellotti. “The five exhaust manifolds also represent the five lines of a musical score. Exploring from other angles, it becomes an eighth note, which is a musical note. It is a tribute to the ‘music’ made by the cars with V10 engines.”
The piece was designed to allow for diverse interpretations based on its strokes. “People can see different drawings, like a hand or muscle fibers from the base,” says Castellotti. “It’s a trophy full of ‘easter eggs’,” says the designer, mentioning the expression that means a type of hidden message or reference in an object or a movie, for example.
High technology
The creation of the trophy counted on the participation of a design studio, Secret Weapon, and a factory known for its technological pioneering, BTOMEC Ferramentaria e Usinagem de Precisão. The complex process of creation, manufacturing, and finishing lasted ten months and combined cutting-edge technology with artisanal work in a partnership between São Paulo and Joinville (SC), headquarters of BTOMEC. The 2026 trophy was produced from titanium powder, in a delicate and elaborate melting procedure called “Selective Laser Melting” (SLM).
In practice, it is a type of 3D metal printing using a high-power laser to completely melt metal powder, such as titanium, layer by layer. In the case of the F1 São Paulo GP trophy, there were over 20 thousand layers, from bottom to top. The pieces become dense and resistant. And all this inside an oven where the temperature exceeds 2,000 degrees Celsius.
“It is a process that takes 190 hours [almost eight days] to make just one piece. Then there is an artisanal working process for the final finishing, which takes about 500 hours also per trophy,” explains Castellotti.
The SLM technology is a novelty even for engineers in the industry. To give you an idea, the first SLM machine appeared in Brazil in January 2026. It was the second in the Americas. The first belonged to the famous Boeing, which manufactures airplanes, in the United States.
The cost of the SLM machine alone is US$ 3 million (about R$ 15 million). In total, the trophies were produced by machinery that reaches R$ 60 million, all belonging to BTOMEC, a company that has been working for over 40 years in the manufacture of molds for national and international markets.
The first-place trophy weighs 5.7kg and is 55cm high, 22.5cm wide, and 24.3cm deep.
All tickets to attend the Formula 1 MSC Cruises São Paulo Grand Prix 2026 at the Interlagos circuit are sold out. There are still tickets remaining for the F1 Fanzone of the São Paulo GP, designed for motorsport fans, which takes place at the Interlagos kart track on the three days of the event with shows, DJs, and daily activations, and the participation of drivers from the current F1 grid on the Friday and Saturday of the race. More information about the F1 Fanzone of the São Paulo GP is available on the website f1saopaulo.com.br/fanzone.
About the F1 São Paulo GP
The F1 São Paulo GP is the main recurring event in the Brazilian sporting calendar. One of the rounds of the Drivers’ and Constructors’ World Championship, it takes place annually at the Interlagos Circuit in the city of São Paulo. The latest edition brought together an audience of 303,627 people at the circuit over the three days of the event and injected more than R$ 2.3 billion into the local economy, in addition to providing around 23,683 jobs. Broadcast live to more than 180 countries, it generates US$ 516 million in media return for the city of São Paulo. In addition to providing quality entertainment, the São Paulo GP offers its partners a powerful platform for brand promotion and relationship building. In full alignment with F1 guidelines, the São Paulo GP is a disseminating agent of the culture of environmental sustainability, respect for diversity, and inclusion.