– Mercedes driver Kimi Antonelli revealed that the team allowed him to keep the original winner’s trophy from his first Formula 1 victory. In a conversation with GQ Magazine as part of the series “10 Things F1 Driver Kimi Antonelli Can’t Live Without,” the Italian showed the trophy he received on the podium after his maiden win at the 2026 Chinese Grand Prix.
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In Formula 1, it is common practice for teams to keep the original trophies won by their drivers and display them at the factory, while the drivers receive high-quality replicas. However, Antonelli explained that the Brackley-based team made an exception to honor his first career win.
“This is the trophy from my first win in China, and it is a moment I will never forget,” Antonelli explains. “The first win is always something incredible. It has enormous significance and also marks my first triumph in the top class. This trophy is the original – exactly the one I held up on the podium.”
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“Normally, the originals go to the team, while we keep the replicas. But since it was my first win, the team let me keep it – especially because you only experience that first moment once. The trophy, of course, has found its place in my display cabinet,” says the Italian.
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“Starting from pole position, I knew I had a good chance of a strong result. Of course, I was aware it would be extremely difficult, but when there were about fifteen laps left, I knew I was close to the finish and could make it,” he still recalls the race in Shanghai.
“It took a while for me to realize what had actually happened at that moment. But it was a truly indescribable moment,” he smiles.
Antonelli secured five more Grand Prix wins in the first half of the 2026 Formula 1 season. He currently leads the Drivers’ World Championship with a 59-point lead over George Russell and Lewis Hamilton, who are tied behind him.
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