Rosberg receives the Lorenzo Bandini Trophy
The German driver honored for his 2010 season.
Saturday evening, Nico Rosberg was finally able to take possession of his Lorenzo Bandini prize. This trophy, created in 1992 on the occasion of the 25th anniversary of Lorenzo Bandini’s passing in the streets of Monaco, rewards the most deserving driver of the past year.
“It’s a great honor to receive the Bandini Trophy. It not only rewards the results but also the driver’s mentality and approach to the sport, which gives it even more meaning,” said the Mercedes driver upon receiving his award. “The history of this trophy is very grand and it’s a renowned prize not just in Italy, but internationally. It’s great and I am very honored.”
As is often customary, the winner traveled the twenty kilometers that separate Faenza from Brisighella – Bandini’s birthplace – in front of a large crowd, aboard a DTM Mercedes: « Driving a DTM on open roads, with traffic and a police car leading the way was incredible. […] Italians show incredible enthusiasm and passion for motorsport. The trophy itself is fantastic, like a work of art. It is very, very heavy: I almost had to stop the photo session because I could no longer carry it. »
Nico Rosberg succeeds Lewis Hamilton, awarded for his 2009 season, and Sebastian Vettel, honored after his 2008 season, marked by the first—and only victory to date—of the team based in Faenza. Also on the list of winners of this award—whose first recipient was Ivan Capelli—are Jacques Villeneuve (1995), Jenson Button (2000), Michael Schumacher (2002), Kimi Räikkönen (2003), Fernando Alonso (2004), Mark Webber (2005), Felipe Massa (2006), and Robert Kubica (2007).
The German driver also stated on his website: When I look at the list of those ahead of me, it’s like reading the Who’s Who of motorsport fans.
