MONZA.- The prize for the winners of the Formula 1 Pirelli Gran Premio d’Italia 2025 in Monza on Sunday, September 7, is a Chimera: a mythological creature formed from different animals, symbolizing utopia and the pursuit of the impossible. Yet, it will be tangible on the podium in Monza, where it will be raised to celebrate victory.
"Chimera" is the name of the trophy, designed by Italian artist Nico Vascellari for the 5th edition of the project conceived by Pirelli and Pirelli HangarBicocca, curated by Giovanna Amadasi. Since 2021, an Italian artist has been commissioned every year to design the trophy, bringing contemporary artistic expression from traditional art circuits to Formula 1. Alice Ronchi was the first artist to receive the commission, followed by Patrick Tuttofuoco in 2022, Ruth Beraha in 2023, and Andrea Sala in 2024. This year also marks Pirelli's participation in its 500th Grand Prix race.
Vascellari's enigmatic sculpture represents a stylized idea of movement inspired by the fastest animals in the air, water, and on land. Their aerodynamic features —the peregrine falcon's wings and talons, the cheetah's tail, and the sailfish's fins— are fused into an imaginary species that evokes evolution, metamorphosis, and change. The trophies are the product of sophisticated technological processes and are made of aluminum, a lightweight material commonly used in automotive engineering. The production process begins with a two-dimensional design, which is then transposed using organic modeling and 3D resin printing. The piece is then finished using the lost wax casting technique, one of the oldest sculpting methods, thereby combining craftsmanship with highly innovative skills.
As Nico Vascellari explains, "The reference to the animal world in this trophy stems from human beings' natural fascination with it. It is an instinctive projection that strives to expand one's limits of speed, flight, and endurance. Animals are an inexhaustible source of inspiration. When designing the trophy, I envisioned the moment it is raised above the driver's head, a symbolic gesture to elevate the animal world and nature above us in an attempt to restore balance. It is also a celebration of nature's power as a source of inspiration."
Nico Vascellari was born in Vittorio Veneto in 1976 and currently lives and works in Rome and Vittorio Veneto. An eclectic figure, he has made a name for himself in the contemporary art world by working at the intersection of different artistic forms, including sculpture, video, installation, and performance art. He started out as a musician in the 1990s underground scene before moving on to visual art, using his own body as the subject of performative interventions. Some of these were extreme, such as his 2020 performance in which he flew in a helicopter while in a state of total unconsciousness.
Vascellari's extensive research encompasses anthropological and ancestral themes as well as ethical issues stemming from the relationship between living beings, the natural world, and technological evolution. His interest in the relationship between the organic and the mechanical, and between rationality and instinct, is central to his practice. His work mainly takes the form of sculptures of various scales, ranging from imposing to fragile and detailed.
He has participated in events such as the Venice Biennale (2007), Manifesta 7 (2008), the Rome Quadriennale (2008), the Biennale di Architettura (2010), the Lyon Biennale (2019), the October Salon in Belgrade (2021), and the Mercosul Biennial (2022).
His most recent solo exhibitions have been held at Palazzo Reale, Milan (2025), Haus der Kunst, Munich (2024), Forte Belvedere, Florence (2023), MAXXI, Rome (2018), Palais de Tokyo, Paris (2017), Whitworth Art Gallery, Manchester (2016), and French Academy–Villa Medici, Rome (2016).
His work is included in major private and museum collections, including the MAXXI in Rome, the Museion in Bolzano, and the Museo del '900 in Milan.
