Formula E’s new trophy inspired by GEN3 car components

Beta Design Office combined intricate features of car components with the “flowing lines seen in timeless jewellery” to design and make the 2023 trophy.

By Abbey Bamford

January 13, 2023
3:57 pm

January 13, 2023
3:57 pm

Formula E has revealed its new winner’s trophy, designed by Beta Design Office to convey the electrification, speed and movement of new GEN3 race cars.

GEN3 is the first electric open wheel race car to break 200mph and, with its newly developed regenerative capabilities, generates over 40% of energy used in the race during it. Though this is Beta’s first trophy design project, Beta Design Office co-founder and creative director Mark Reilly says it “fits [their] skillset well” as the studio has experience in luxury jewellery, sculpture and installation design.

Creating “an engaging narrative in a physical and static form”, was a challenge during the six-month project, says Reilly. He adds that Formula E also wanted the trophy to have a “timeless quality” to it, while embodying the innovation of the new GEN3 car. It was also designed to be cohesive with Formula E’s new brand identity.

The car “pushes the boundaries of development” in EV technology, says Reilly, adding that the “energy burst-like design” of the new trophy takes inspiration from GEN3’s power features. Beta sought to make it look like a blend of wheel spokes, heat sinks (a component that diverts heat flow away from a hot device) and cores within a cable.

Combining these technical shapes with “flowing lines seen in timeless jewellery” and the body panels of a car resulted in a sculpture that “seemingly has no end point”, says Reilly. He adds that it should also convey “the feeling of an acceleration curve” experienced by motorsport drivers because crafting “a deep-routed narrative within an object” is part of Beta’s unique design process.

Anodised aluminium was chosen as the trophy’s primary material for its “lightweight, rigid qualities” and “high strength-to-weight ratio”, as well as its ability to produce an accurate gold and silver colour-match, according to Reilly. He says that opting for a material that enabled a “high-end and premium” aesthetic was also important for both the studio and the client.

“Trophies mark a historic moment in time for the sport and the drivers”, says Reilly, adding that they are also “a physical memento and representation of a moment and their success.”

Beta engineered four trophies for each of the sixteen races across the 2023 race calendar: one first place trophy in gold, one second place trophy in silver, one third place trophy in silver and one winning team trophy in gold.