Sebastian Vettel has renewed his criticism of sponsored trophies following his podium finish in the Mexican Grand Prix.
Mexico’s podium ceremony, which was already one of the most distinctive on the calendar as it incorporates a DJ booth, included several new elements this weekend. A ramp which was used to raise race winner Lewis Hamilton’s car in front of the crowd.While Vettel praised that addition, he was less impressed with the appearance of racing suit-clad figure ‘Mario Achi’ brandishing a camera on a selfie stick. Vettel was also dismayed to find the trophies were branded by event sponsor Heineken.
“I didn’t like the selfie guy when he tried to push into the picture, so I pushed him away,” said Vettel. “I’m not big into selfies anyways.
“But I think it was nice to elevate the car as well. I think it’s really cool. Obviously, it’s a very nice way to do it, to involve the whole stadium and the crowd and the other things so I liked most of it, except the selfie guy and the trophies.”
Vettel, who also criticised the choice of trophy at the Hungarian Grand Prix this year, said trophies should reflect the country the race is held in instead of a sponsor.
“I think it’s a shame, you have such a great race and they’ve put so much effort into the race and then you get this shitty trophies that look boring. So I think we could have some for the future, maybe something nice, maybe a traditional Mexican, because I think it’s a bit of a shame.
“I mean, there’s Heineken written everywhere. You don’t need to have the freakin’ star on the trophy as well. So get something nice like they had when we used to race, when Formula 1 used to race here before we came back.”
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Edvaldo
28th October 2019, 0:30
I guess he misses Santander’s gorgeous trophies.
Abel
28th October 2019, 0:34
I guess he misses trophies.
Gil
28th October 2019, 15:55
I generally disagree with Seb on most things but he’s right about trophies
Of course Heineken pays huge money so good luck with that
The stupid clown in the race suit cheapens the ceremony
Mouse_Nightshirt (@mouse_nightshirt)
28th October 2019, 19:51
They were utterly awful, and an unfortunate number of tracks used it too.
Nunof
28th October 2019, 0:47
A bit unfair of Vettel to the organiser. Maybe he could chip in and sponsor the next years? The organiser will lose the government budget starting 2019. To organise such an amazing event they need sponsors. Sponsors are vital for F1, for good and bad.
regs (@regs)
28th October 2019, 1:46
But i agree with him. A car on the podium is a good addition, but that guy was annoying.
Yohan
28th October 2019, 2:10
Nobody remembers what most of the trophies look like. Maybe the British GP, Australian, Austrian and the awful French one. There’s something different about them and that’s what stands out. Having sponsors on the trophy is meaningless. The drivers have to take it back at the end of the day, so maybe it should be something they want to win. Imagine if the WDC throphy had a F1 sponsor on it. That would massively suck after everything.
Robert Simpson
28th October 2019, 13:28
Oh stop with your faux outrage and corporate platitudes. I agree that sponsers are vital, however I agree more with Vettel. We don’t need to cram them into everything. Just another part of Liberty and their American corporate vision for F1.
Carlos Medrano (@carlosmedrano)
28th October 2019, 0:50
If Hamilton would have said that people would have never shut up about it but because vettel said it everyone’s stays quiet
Joseph (@bigjoe)
28th October 2019, 0:56
@carlosmedrano
Seemed to me Lewis didn’t like the selfie stick guy either.
Gil
28th October 2019, 15:57
Yes he was a circus clown got lost and thought he was at a wrestling match
JC
28th October 2019, 6:35
Lewis once complained, on the podium, about the British GP trophy being the Santander thing not the “real one”. I seem to remember that being a quiet one for comments (perhaps 2019 levels of vitriol would change that).
I think all drivers prefer a proper trophy, can’t really blame them!
Edvaldo
28th October 2019, 15:05
yeah, it was the same model for the german GP too, 2014, a pathetic plastic thing that fell apart in their hands.
that was probably the worst trophy ever given in a F1 race.
i miss the steering wheel trophies, classic or modern, as was common back in Schumacher era.
Chaitanya
28th October 2019, 16:31
Somehow that steering wheel trophy is much more common in other motorsports(including MotoGP) with winner getting gold coloured one while 2nd and 3rd place finishers getting smaller silver trophies.
RB13
28th October 2019, 10:12
@carlosmedrano well said. The specimen that commented under you usually leading the charge on such nonsense.
@bigjoe
Urvaksh (@thedoctor03)
28th October 2019, 12:09
You live in an alternative universe mate @carlosmedrano
RP (@slotopen)
28th October 2019, 1:40
There’s a lot going on in that picture. Bottas and Vettel don’t look very happy. Mariachi Stig is just bizarre. Hamilton seems absorbed with the confetti in his champagne. Just weird.
I’m not in favor of reverse grids, but I sure would love to seen somebody completely happy with their podium finish.
JohnH (@johnrkh)
28th October 2019, 3:53
@slotopen My take on Bottas not being happy is it has been made clear to him who is going to win the WDC and what he wants doesn’t come into it.
Gil
28th October 2019, 16:00
Again with bogus conspiracy theory
Bottas won several races and outdueled Lew in several races but went missing in a bunch of races by not being aggressive enough at the start so stop with bogus conspiracy theories
Nigel Carpenter
28th October 2019, 18:02
@slotopen I think it’s been clear to everyone for some time that v.b. isn’t going to win
Adub Smallblock
28th October 2019, 3:03
I agree with Seb here. The trophy should represent the host country, not a sponsor. Find another way to give the sponsor recognition. Mexico has such a rich history that it should be easy to create a trophy that shines a light on that history, not on a beer from the Netherlands. Might as well have a tulip for the trophy of the Mexican GP.
Cuky (@cuky)
28th October 2019, 7:02
I can understand that sponsors want to be given the spotlight. But trophy is a bad place to seek that. At the end of the day it ends up in drivers’ and teams’ cabinets. I know it is then seen in teams’ headquarters because they like to show off what they won, but if driver is collecting his trophies at home he just ends, in Vettel’s and Hamilton’s case, with a cabinet full of Santander and Heineken logos. To save the space they could just show off one of them and put a plaque listing all the races where they got that same trophy.
lunaslide (@lunaslide)
28th October 2019, 4:28
Branding and motorsport are inextricably linked by necessity, and even some of the most revered liveries are from sponsors. But I really hope it doesn’t get as crass as it is in the states. I deliberately listen to Radio Le Mans/IMSA Radio folks instead of the TV coverage for pretty much every other series because I hate how they have to interject the name of the sponsors into every sentence they have. Please don’t let it get to that level in F1.
By the way, and totally off topic. Watch Petit LeMans from this year if you haven’t, it was brilliant. The whole thing is on Youtube in two parts on the official IMSA channel.
faulty (@faulty)
28th October 2019, 4:37
Well said, Seb.
Cristiano Ferreira
28th October 2019, 6:40
It would be awesome if the trophy resembled something like the typical skull that represents the “dia de los muertos” or “day of the dead” that México is famous for, or in form of a “Maracca” or “sombrero” or something like this. I agree with Seb on this one… having the sponsor’s logo is just boring as hell.
Everyone knows that Heineken is the sponsor of that race anyway.
ZenaRacer
28th October 2019, 8:04
I agree with Vettel !!! – that clown on the podium should not have been there PERIOD!!
As for lifting the winning car ………… in my personal opinion I dont think that should happen either. Here’s why, F1 is BECOMING an AMERICAN ROADSHOW – yes, I dont like it. Liberty Media may own F1 now BUT F1 belongs to the WORLD and the world is NOT AMERICA ALONE, so BUTT OUT !!
There are more than enough american autoracing with american “lets please the crowds nonsense” make lots of money bla bla bla ……….
F1 is NOT there to please crowds. F1 is a technical high class innovative WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP, catering for auto manufacturers ACROSS THE WORLD and not USA alone. As a matter of fact NO USA manufacturer are involved in F1 ???? Rightly so because they have more than enough exposure through a variety of auto racing categories in the USA already.
Cranberry
28th October 2019, 8:57
Tell that to BMW and Honda, who pulled out without a second thought when participating in F1 did not suit their corporate strategy for whatever (superficial) reason.
Renault already has one foot out the door, which is why FIA did not hand out the appropriate punishment for their automatic brakes system.
Sam
28th October 2019, 14:33
Uh….Haas were a U.S. constructor, last time I checked…..
But I agree re the idiot with the selfie stick. Had no business being up there and it was clear the drivers wanted nothing to do with him, even before Seb’s comments.
Johnny Sales
28th October 2019, 14:34
Interesting you call it a World Championship several times and then want America to butt out…. What is your definition of world? (to me it seems to be aligned with what you accuse America of).
David
28th October 2019, 17:45
I disagree strongly. F1 only exists to please the marketing departments of the sponsors. It does that by exposing the crowds and viewers to marketing, and by pleasing them.
The technical side of F1 only exists to help to create something that is marketable by generating interest and a niche.
It amazes me that anyone believes that F1 exists for any other reason. It is the same with most sports, including the Olympics.
nickthegreek (@nickthegreek)
29th October 2019, 10:15
i didn’t mind Lewis’ entrance on the podium on his car. i thought it was funny and maybe even a bit ridiculous (i laughed when watching) but i didn’t mind. i wondered however, didn’t Mercedes have a problem with their car being exposed in front of all these cameras for everyone to see, without any sort of cover?
Joe Pineapples
28th October 2019, 8:43
I didn’t mind the car stunt. Gave me a laugh tbh (‘and still he rises’…lol). But yeah, the guy trying to take over was a PITA clown.
DAllein (@)
28th October 2019, 9:36
I totally disliked this “F1 Stig” guy.
At first I even thought that it is some adventurous spectator who managed to dupe security and go on the podium.
Only when the “broadcast” has switched to his phone it became obvious that all of this is “organized”.
But as I told in some other thread – the car on podium was just awesome!
Anthony (@tonio)
28th October 2019, 9:48
I also agree with Vettel that the trophy should represent the host country, not a sponsor, but also the music played on the podium : We hear the Carmen Opera since too many years in F1, the music played should also represent the host country like mariachi music in Mexico, a waltz of vienne in Austria, a country music in Austin, etc.
Even when you look at the track on TV, it looks to be the same all around the world with the same sponsors : Rolex, Heineken, DHL… there is no longer the charm of each circuit / country with specific sponsors.
RB13
28th October 2019, 10:13
I’m no Seb fan but wholeheartedly agree. However without the selfie guy we wouldnt have had his hilarious rejection by the winners so i’m glad he was there for added comic relief!
James Brickles (@brickles)
28th October 2019, 10:14
The guy in the suit was nothing short of an embarrassment.
DeezNutz
28th October 2019, 10:15
Vettel is so right on this. Ham takes selfies but even he cringed when he looked at that clown
Bulgarian (@bulgarian)
28th October 2019, 11:06
I completely agree with Seb!
Sponsors can have so many more ways to shine in front of the audience, but the winners prize is a sort of “saint” article/thing that should be special and unique and adorable.
I honestly got scared when I saw that very active selfie man on the podium – we live now in “terrorism age” so for unprepared viewers such scenes are very disturbing. It was completely useless too. Please, FIA, never do something like this again!
But I liked the car being moved up on the podium. It looked very ceremonial/festive, so it went very well with the atmosphere in the crowd.
Corey (@dragon86)
28th October 2019, 12:36
Meanwhile in NASCAR land, Martin Truex Jr. yesterday received a grandfather clock for his win. Nothing to do with sponsorship, just a bonus given by Martinsville Speedway, and one that the drivers enjoy very much. Many have been known to give clocks to crew chiefs, owners, and family as gifts, should they win their multiple times.
Dani B. Molina (@esmiz)
28th October 2019, 16:02
Having a trophy with a sponsor logo looks sooooooo amateur. Sorry, I understand sponsors give the money, but there are spaces where they have to balance between receive money and the image that this create. And sponsored trophies look crappy and amateur, look like a free promotion gift (earn your Heineken cup for every 24 cans pack) or something like this.
David
28th October 2019, 17:47
F1 only exists to please the marketing departments of the sponsors. It does that by exposing the crowds and viewers to marketing, and by pleasing them.
The technical side of F1 only exists to help to create something that is marketable by generating interest and a niche.
The marketing needs to be just subtle enough that viewers almost aren’t concious of it. That is the genius of successful marketing – to subconsciously manipulate people.
It amazes me that anyone believes that F1 exists for any other reason. It is the same with most sports, including the Olympics.
jet
29th October 2019, 6:37
All my trophy’s have motorcycles on em. It leaves no doubt what they are for. They should have SOMETHING on them that signifies that they are automotive trophy’s. At least a checkered flag or something.
Jay Alenby
29th October 2019, 17:20
I agree with everything Vettel said despite the fact that I generally don’t like him.