Monza trophy turned into pasta-bowl meme

Andrea Kimi Antonelli’s Monza trophy became a social-media joke on Tuesday after Formula 1 fans on X began calling the Italian Grand Prix prize a pasta bowl. The posts followed Antonelli’s win at Monza on September 6 and a separate wave of images showing the Mercedes driver eating spaghetti from the trophy a day later. The meme drew on the trophy’s design as a stacked cluster of bowls and cups, a look that had already prompted jokes before the race. By September 8, fan posts were recasting the silverware less as a cup and more as kitchenware. ### Why were fans calling the Monza trophy a pasta bowl? Pirelli unveiled the 2026 Italian Grand Prix trophy on September 1 and said it was titled “FRAGILE,” created by artists Stella Scala and Simeone Crispino of Vedovamazzei. The company described it as a 3D-printed form made from nylon powder and designed to resemble an unsteady stack of small bowls and cups. (crash.net) That design gave fans the setup for the joke. A Sports Yahoo item carrying Pirelli’s announcement said online reactions had already compared the piece to something from a modern-art display, while other comments focused on how breakable it looked. Crash later described the trophy as silverware “inspired by a stack of dishes in a sink,” a phrase that matched the line of jokes spreading after Antonelli’s celebration photos. (staging-aws.sports.yahoo.com) ### What did Antonelli do that pushed the joke further? Antonelli won the Italian Grand Prix at Monza on September 6 after starting 19th on the grid, according to Formula 1’s race result page and multiple race reports. The home win gave the trophy immediate visibility beyond design chatter. On September 7, Antonelli posted images from the celebration that included him eating spaghetti from the trophy. (staging-aws.sports.yahoo.com) Crash, LaPresse and other outlets all highlighted the pasta photo, with LaPresse citing Antonelli’s Instagram post about the Monza podium and the crowd. That image turned an abstract design joke into an easy meme format: the trophy now looked like a bowl and was being used like one. (formula1.com) ### Where did the meme spread on September 8? Social Briefing material tied the September 8 meme wave to X, where fans circulated jokes and images under Monza- and Antonelli-related tags, including a post from @neon_blitzKe. The briefing described the trophy as “fragile” and said users were framing it as a pasta bowl after Antonelli’s win. (crash.net) TikTok and other social platforms also picked up the same framing. One TikTok post described Antonelli eating pasta from the Monza trophy and explicitly linked the image back to comments that the design looked like a bowl. That broader reposting helped move the joke beyond a single platform. ### Was the trophy already controversial before race day? September 1 reactions showed the design was drawing attention before a winner ever lifted it. (crash.net) The Sports Yahoo item featuring Pirelli’s trophy rollout quoted fans debating whether it looked appropriate for a Grand Prix prize, while others said they liked its art-object quality. (tiktok.com) Monza’s race weekend then supplied the missing image. Antonelli’s victory, followed by the spaghetti photo on September 7 and the meme wave on September 8, gave fans a visual punchline that matched the trophy’s original design language. Pirelli’s Monza gallery still labels the piece “FRAGILE,” and Antonelli’s celebration posts remain the main source material for the joke as it continues to circulate. (press.pirelli.com) (staging-aws.sports.yahoo.com)