British Grand Prix Trophy

The first British Grand Prix was held in 1926, however it was not until the fifth event, held in 1950, that a trophy was first awarded to the winner.[1][2][3][4][5] The first trophy presented by the Royal Automobile Club was the Mervyn O'Gorman trophy, awarded from 1950 until the early 1970s, when it was replaced by the present gold Royal Automobile Club Trophy.[6][7] The official, perpetual trophy is awarded to the winner of the British Grand Prix and then returned to the Royal Automobile Club, where it is permanently housed.

British Grand Prix Trophy
SportFormula One
Awarded forWinning the British Grand Prix
LocationSilverstone Circuit
CountryUnited Kingdom United Kingdom
Presented byRoyal Automobile Club
History
First award1950
First winnerItaly Giuseppe Farina
Most winsUnited Kingdom Lewis Hamilton (8)
Most recentNetherlands Max Verstappen (2023)
Websiteroyalautomobileclub.co.uk

Since 1952, the winner of the British Grand Prix has generally also been awarded a trophy by the principal sponsor of the race (for 1952, the Daily Express), which is won outright each year and replaced by a new trophy for the following year's event. In some years, it is the sponsor's trophy, rather than the official RAC trophy, which is handed to the winner on the podium, which is why post-race photographs since 1950 have shown many more than the two official trophies that have ever been awarded. The winners of international Grands Prix are awarded trophies from countries where the race took place, and by a variety of event sponsors, therefore international trophies may vary hugely in style and colour.

The current trophy holder is Max Verstappen The first trophy was awarded to Giuseppe Farina, whilst Stirling Moss was the first Briton to win. Forty-four drivers have won the British Grand Prix since 1926 (on two occasions with two drivers sharing the winning car), of whom thirty-nine have been recipients of the official winner's trophy. Twelve of the winners have been British, all having won since 1950 and including the joint victory by Stirling Moss and Tony Brooks in 1957.

The Royal Automobile Club Trophy

The present official winner's trophy is a large, ornate trophy, being an example of a Victorian, two-handled cup. It is thinly covered with hallmarked sterling silver leaf. The classical waisted urn-shaped body is decorated with eight lobes to its upper half, each hand engraved with floral designs.

The lower half of the main body has four round, bead bordered insignias, the front-facing one is engraved with the title of the trophy. The cover mirrors the upper body with the eight lobes rising to large stylised types of fruit.

The stem of the trophy is all supported and reinforced by four-wheel and scroll cast brackets, the conventional heraldic engraving indicating Eton College and the Royal Automobile Club. The trophy is mounted on a polished mahogany base with gold plated plinth band engraved with the winners' names from 1948 to 2005 when a second larger base was added to accommodate future names. It is not known why the names of the winners from 1926 and 1927 have been omitted, nor why the winners from 1948 and 1949 are included, even though they never actually received the trophy.

History

The Mervyn O'Gorman trophy was an old Brooklands trophy, last awarded in 1909, which was donated by Mervyn O'Gorman to the RAC in April 1950,[8] following the failure of the Brooklands race track to reopen after the Second World War. The last time this trophy was presented was at the 1972 British Grand Prix at Brands Hatch,[9] with the Royal Automobile Club Trophy first awarded at the 1973 British Grand Prix at Silverstone the following year[6] and was first pictured in the official event programme in 1974.[7]

Little is known of the origins of the present gold trophy and despite much research, the Royal Automobile Club has never been able to establish where it came from. The only clue lies in the motto which displays, 'Floreat Etona' or 'let Eton Flourish', suggesting perhaps that it was donated to the Royal Automobile Club by the late Sir Charles Rolls, co-founder of the Rolls-Royce Motor Company and former pupil of Eton College.

The trophy was originally awarded at the Richmond Horse Show in 1898. The BRDC had it re-engraved, to succeed the Mervyn O'Gorman trophy, which by the 1970s was considered too heavy and cumbersome.

Other awards

Prize money

Before the institution of a winner's trophy, the only award for being placed in the British Grand Prix was the prize money on offer. For the first two British Grands Prix held at Brooklands, the prize money was £1,000 to the winner, £300 to the second-placed finisher and £200 for finishing third.[1][2] For the first post-Second World War British Grand Prix in 1948, prize money was awarded to the entrants of the top ten finishers, ranging from £500 to the winner to £20 for tenth place,[3] and the amounts awarded changed little over the next few years,[4][5][10] although by 1958 the winner's prize had increased to £750.[11]

Fred G. Craner Memorial Trophy

In addition to the official winner's trophy, in 1950 the RAC also awarded for the first time a further perpetual trophy, the Fred G. Craner Memorial Car Trophy, for the highest-placed British competitor driving a British car,[5] which was awarded until at least 1972.[12] Fred Craner had been secretary of the Derby & District Motor Club and instrumental in establishing Donington Park as a motor racing circuit and in organising the Donington Grands Prix.[13] The first winner of this trophy was Bob Gerard driving an ERA, who finished fifth overall.[14] The first occasion on which the winners of the British Grand Prix also won the Fred G. Craner Memorial Trophy was at Aintree in 1957, when the winners were Stirling Moss and Tony Brooks driving a Vanwall.

Winners

Multiple winners

Embolded drivers are competing in the Formula One championship in the current season.

Wins Driver Years
8 United Kingdom Lewis Hamilton 2008, 2014, 2015, 2016, 2017, 2019, 2020, 2021
5 United Kingdom Jim Clark 1962, 1963, 1964, 1965, 1967
France Alain Prost 1983, 1985, 1989, 1990, 1993
4 United Kingdom Nigel Mansell 1986, 1987, 1991, 1992
3 Australia Jack Brabham 1959, 1960, 1966
Austria Niki Lauda 1976, 1982, 1984
Germany Michael Schumacher 1998, 2002, 2004
2 Argentina José Froilán González 1951, 1954
Italy Alberto Ascari 1952, 1953
United Kingdom Stirling Moss 1955, 1957
United Kingdom Jackie Stewart 1969, 1971
Brazil Emerson Fittipaldi 1972, 1975
Canada Jacques Villeneuve 1996, 1997
United Kingdom David Coulthard 1999, 2000
Spain Fernando Alonso 2006, 2011
Australia Mark Webber 2010, 2012
Germany Sebastian Vettel 2009, 2018
Source:[15]

By year

Year Driver Vehicle Location Report
1950 Italy Giuseppe Farina Alfa Romeo TIPO 158 Silverstone Report
1951 Argentina José Froilán González Ferrari 375 Report
1952 Italy Alberto Ascari Ferrari 500 Report
1953 Italy Alberto Ascari Ferrari 500 Report
1954 Argentina José Froilán González Ferrari 625 Report
1955 United Kingdom Stirling Moss Mercedes-Benz Aintree Report
1956 Argentina Juan-Manuel Fangio Lancia-Ferrari D50 Silverstone Report
1957 United Kingdom Stirling Moss
United Kingdom Tony Brooks
Vanwall Aintree Report
1958 United Kingdom Peter Collins Ferrari 246 Silverstone Report
1959 Australia Jack Brabham Cooper-Climax T53 Aintree Report
1960 Australia Jack Brabham Cooper-Climax T53 Silverstone Report
1961 West Germany Wolfgang von Trips Ferrari Aintree Report
1962 United Kingdom Jim Clark Lotus-Climax Report
1963 United Kingdom Jim Clark Lotus-Climax 25 Silverstone Report
1964 United Kingdom Jim Clark Lotus-Climax Brands Hatch Report
1965 United Kingdom Jim Clark Lotus-Climax 33 Silverstone Report
1966 Australia Jack Brabham Brabham-Repco Brands Hatch Report
1967 United Kingdom Jim Clark Lotus-Ford 49 Silverstone Report
1968 Switzerland Jo Siffert Lotus-Ford Brands Hatch Report
1969 United Kingdom Jackie Stewart Matra-Ford MS 80 Silverstone Report
1970 Austria Jochen Rindt Lotus-Ford Brands Hatch Report
1971 United Kingdom Jackie Stewart Tyrrell-Ford 003 Silverstone Report
1972 Brazil Emerson Fittipaldi Lotus-Ford Brands Hatch Report
1973 United States Peter Revson McLaren-Ford M23 Silverstone Report
1974 South Africa Jody Scheckter Tyrrell-Ford Brands Hatch Report
1975 Brazil Emerson Fittipaldi McLaren-Ford M23 Silverstone Report
1976 Austria Niki Lauda Ferrari Brands Hatch Report
1977 United Kingdom James Hunt McLaren-Ford M26 Silverstone Report
1978 Argentina Carlos Reutemann Ferrari Brands Hatch Report
1979 Switzerland Clay Regazzoni Williams-Ford FW0 7 Silverstone Report
1980 Australia Alan Jones Williams-Ford Brands Hatch Report
1981 United Kingdom John Watson McLaren-Ford MP4/1 Silverstone Report
1982 Austria Niki Lauda McLaren-Ford Brands Hatch Report
1983 France Alain Prost Renault RE40 Silverstone Report
1984 Austria Niki Lauda McLaren-TAG Brands Hatch Report
1985 France Alain Prost McLaren-TAG MP4/2B Silverstone Report
1986 United Kingdom Nigel Mansell Williams-Honda Brands Hatch Report
1987 United Kingdom Nigel Mansell Williams-Honda FW11B Silverstone Report
1988 Brazil Ayrton Senna McLaren-Honda MP4/4 Report
1989 France Alain Prost McLaren-Honda MP4/5 Report
1990 France Alain Prost Ferrari 641 Report
1991 United Kingdom Nigel Mansell Williams-Renault FW14 Report
1992 United Kingdom Nigel Mansell Williams-Renault FW14B Report
1993 France Alain Prost Williams-Renault FW15C Report
1994 United Kingdom Damon Hill Williams-Renault FW16 Report
1995 United Kingdom Johnny Herbert Benetton-Renault B195 Report
1996 Canada Jacques Villeneuve Williams-Renault FW18 Report
1997 Canada Jacques Villeneuve Williams-Renault FW19 Report
1998 Germany Michael Schumacher Ferrari F300 Report
1999 United Kingdom David Coulthard McLaren-Mercedes MP4/14 Report
2000 United Kingdom David Coulthard McLaren-Mercedes MP4/15 Report
2001 Finland Mika Häkkinen McLaren-Mercedes MP4-16 Report
2002 Germany Michael Schumacher Ferrari F2002 Report
2003 Brazil Rubens Barrichello Ferrari F2003-GA Report
2004 Germany Michael Schumacher Ferrari 2004 Report
2005 Colombia Juan Pablo Montoya McLaren-Mercedes MP4-20 Report
2006 Spain Fernando Alonso Renault R26 Report
2007 Finland Kimi Räikkönen Ferrari F2007 Report
2008 United Kingdom Lewis Hamilton McLaren-Mercedes MP4-23 Report
2009 Germany Sebastian Vettel Red Bull-Renault RB5 Report
2010 Australia Mark Webber Red Bull-Renault RB6 Report
2011 Spain Fernando Alonso Ferrari 150º Italia Report
2012 Australia Mark Webber Red Bull-Renault RB8 Report
2013 Germany Nico Rosberg Mercedes W04 Report
2014 United Kingdom Lewis Hamilton Mercedes W05 Hybrid Report
2015 United Kingdom Lewis Hamilton Mercedes W06 Hybrid Report
2016 United Kingdom Lewis Hamilton Mercedes W07 Hybrid Report
2017 United Kingdom Lewis Hamilton Mercedes W08 Hybrid Report
2018 Germany Sebastian Vettel Ferrari SF71H Report
2019 United Kingdom Lewis Hamilton Mercedes AMG F1 W10 EQ Power+ Report
2020 United Kingdom Lewis Hamilton Mercedes AMG F1 W11 EQ Performance Report
2021 United Kingdom Lewis Hamilton Mercedes-AMG F1 W12 E Performance Report
2022 Spain Carlos Sainz Jr. Ferrari F1-75 Report
2023 Netherlands Max Verstappen Red Bull-Honda RBPT RB19 Report
Sources:[15][16]

References

  1. Official Programme, The Grand Prix of the R.A.C., Brooklands, 7 August 1926, p5 "Regulations and Awards"
  2. Official Programme, Grand Prix of the R.A.C., Brooklands, 1 October 1927, p3 "Regulations and Awards"
  3. Official Programme, Royal Automobile Club International Grand Prix, Silverstone Circuit, 2 October 1948, p7 "Prize List"
  4. Official Programme, Royal Automobile Club British Grand Prix, Silverstone Circuit, 14 May 1949, p36 "Prize List"
  5. Official Programme, The Royal Automobile Club Grand Prix d’Europe (incorporating the British Grand Prix), Silverstone, 13 May 1950, p44 "List of Awards"
  6. Official Programme, John Player Grand Prix, Silverstone, 14 July 1973, p6 "Trophies and Awards"
  7. Official Programme, John Player Grand Prix, Brands Hatch, Saturday 20 July 1974, p8 "For the Winner"
  8. "Welcome to the Royal Automobile Club". collections.royalautomobileclub.co.uk. Retrieved 16 September 2019.
  9. "Sport, Motor Racing, Formula One, pic: 17th July 1972, Brands Hatch, England, British Grand Prix at Brands Hatch, Brazil's Emerson Fittipaldi surveys the huge trophy secured after he had won the race". gettyimages. Archived from the original on 8 January 2022.
  10. Official Programme, 6th R.A.C. British Grand Prix, Silverstone, 18 July 1953, p17 "Trophies and Cash Awards"
  11. Official Programme, 11th R.A.C. British Grand Prix, Silverstone, Saturday 19 July 1958, p17 "Trophies and Awards"
  12. Official Programme, John Player British Grand Prix, Brands Hatch, 13–15 July 1972, p10 "For the Winners"
  13. "Obituary: F G Craner". Motor Sport: 58. February 1949.
  14. "The Royal Silverstone Meeting". Motor Sport: 265–269. June 1950.
  15. "British GP". ChicaneF1. Archived from the original on 14 September 2021. Retrieved 14 September 2021.
  16. Higham, Peter (1995). "British Grand Prix". The Guinness Guide to International Motor Racing. London, England: Motorbooks International. pp. 391–392. ISBN 978-0-7603-0152-4 via Internet Archive.
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