A medal awarded to the winner of a Grand Prix as early as Abu Dhabi
From the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix onwards, the winner will receive a second award in addition to the trophy. A medal will be presented at the podium ceremony. Its purpose is to highlight the history of each race victory.
When a driver wins a Grand Prix, they receive a trophy during the prize-giving ceremony on the podium, just like the second and third-place finishers. However, this weekend, the winner of the race will be presented with an engraved medal. This medal aims to highlight the history of each winner. The FIA describes this new award as a unique personal memento to commemorate the outstanding achievement.
This is not the first time that medals have made their appearance in Formula 1. They were already awarded to the top 3 finishers of sprint races since the introduction of this format in 2021.
A reward that took time to be validated.
Bernie Ecclestone had already tried to introduce a medal system when he was the boss of Formula 1 in 2009. His idea was even much more complex with gold, silver, and bronze medals that would be awarded to determine the World Champion driver at the end of the season, replacing the usual points-based ranking.
He attempted to revive the study of this system for the following seasons but it was not approved.
This medal will be awarded to the winner of the Grand Prix during the podium ceremony.
