Lewis Hamilton's 2021 Qatar Grand Prix helmet

Hamilton puts Progress Pride flag on his helmet for Qatar Grand Prix

2021 Qatar Grand Prix F1 drivers' helmet designs

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Lewis Hamilton has replaced his usual helmet design with one incorporating the Progress Pride flag for this weekend’s Qatar Grand Prix.

Lewis Hamilton’s 2021 Qatar Grand Prix helmet

Lewis Hamilton's 2021 Qatar Grand Prix helmet
Lewis Hamilton’s 2021 Qatar Grand Prix helmet

Hamilton’s helmet features a version of the familiar LGBTQ+ rainbow flag which incorporates black, brown and other stripes in a chevron arrangement. The design was created by Daniel Quasar in 2018 and named the Progress Pride flag. It represents a range of groups that are under-represented, marginalised or discriminated against.

In addition to the the LGBTQ+ colours representing lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer and others the Progress Pride flag includes colours reflecting marginalised groups including people of colour the trans community and those living with HIV/AIDS. The yellow triangle and purple circle, which was added to the design this year, represents those who are intersex.

Yesterday Hamilton said Formula 1 and other sports are “duty bound” to highlight human rights concerns in countries they visit. “These places need scrutiny,” said Hamilton. “It needs the media to speak about these things. Equal rights is a serious issue.”

Qatar has strict anti-LGBTQ+ laws and same-sex relationships can be punished by imprisonment. The country will host the FIFA football World Cup next year, and announced last year it will allow rainbow flags to be displayed in its stadia.

Hamilton has also replaced his usual “Still I Rise” motto, taken from a poem by Maya Angelou, with the statement: “We Stand Together”.

On Saturday Hamilton confirmed he plans to wear the same design at the next race, the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix, and the season finale in Abu Dhabi. “I’ll be using the same helmet through probably the last two races after this, or at least next week also,” he said.

He said he wasn’t aware of “any negative feedback” over the design. “On the back it says ‘we stand together’ and ‘love is love’ and it’s important for me to represent that community here as I know there are several situations which aren’t perfect and need to be highlighted.

“But I hope that someone reaches out and I would love to know what is happening here and what they’re doing to help support that community more, the LGBTQ+ community. I wait to hear.”

Other drivers have worn pride colours at earlier races this year. Sebastian Vettel did so during the pre-race We Race As One ceremony at the Hungarian Grand Prix weekend.

Lewis Hamilton's 2021 Qatar Grand Prix helmet
Lewis Hamilton’s 2021 Qatar Grand Prix helmet
Lewis Hamilton's 2021 Qatar Grand Prix helmet
Lewis Hamilton’s 2021 Qatar Grand Prix helmet

Daniel Ricciardo’s 2021 Qatar Grand Prix helmet

Daniel Ricciardo's 2021 Qatar Grand Prix helmet
Daniel Ricciardo’s 2021 Qatar Grand Prix helmet

Daniel Ricciardo has also revised his helmet livery for this weekend and added some sparkle for the first of three consecutive races under lights.

Pierre Gasly’s 2021 Qatar Grand Prix helmet

Pierre Gasly's 2021 Qatar Grand Prix helmet
Pierre Gasly’s 2021 Qatar Grand Prix helmet

A light retouch of his usual look for Pierre Gasly, adding gold colouring to catch the night lights in Qatar.

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Keith Collantine
Lifelong motor sport fan Keith set up RaceFans in 2005 - when it was originally called F1 Fanatic. Having previously worked as a motoring...

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69 comments on “Hamilton puts Progress Pride flag on his helmet for Qatar Grand Prix”

  1. Nothing against that. Actually could be his default helmet, looks great.

    1. Jay (@slightlycrusty)
      19th November 2021, 11:26

      @regs it’s not sexual propaganda. It’s about respecting minorities. MLK: judge me on the content of my character, not on the colour of my skin. Well, the same can be said for all minorities.

      1. It is propaganda of sexual views. Can only be done 18+.

        1. Greetings to Russia.

        2. @regs sexual propaganda isn’t a thing, or at least not how you’re describing it. Propaganda as defined in the Cambridge Dictionary is ‘information or ideas that are spread by an organised group or government to influence people’s opinions, esp. by not giving all the facts or by secretly emphasising only one way of looking at the facts’. A helmet design promoting that all people are equal and should be treated and respected as such is not propaganda. In fact it’s quite the opposite. What Hamilton is doing is standing up to bigotry and propaganda that is sadly still all too common in many parts of the world. If you’re against Hamilton’s standing up to this in anyway, let alone something as gentle as a helmet design, I suggest spend some time reflecting on quite why that is.

        3. @regs sexual propaganda is that which encourages sex. people being gay, intersex, trans, bisexual – especially asexual – does not do that. It is simply a fact that LGBTQIA+ people exist and deserve rights.

          Please educate yourself on LGBT rights issues instead of discarding it as an issue of taste or morality.

        4. At least he’s doing it now in places where it makes sense, as 2SLGTBQIAP people & women are systemically mistreated (to say the least) in islamic cultures –unlike in occident where even if it’s not perfect it’s nowhere near that level.

      2. @regs LOL
        Dark ages are calling you to go back.

        1. Insult, when have nothing to say, how typical.

        2. @denis1304
          Agree totally, @regs is a prehistoric troll.

        3. And I’m not a fan of age restrictions and overprotection. All I’m saying is what it is and why it is forbidden in public.

        4. @Neutralino
          It’s that typical for your, surfing around the web and calling random people prehistoric trolls?

    2. @regs Not many countries, just backwards countries ;-)
      The only thing that surprises me is Lewis (as far as I can see) is the only driver to show support.. Seb did it in Hungary, which was magnificent!

      1. Unfortunately the UK has recently been indicted by Amnesty International for its abhorrent treatment of trans people so let’s not get too high on any horses.

    3. @reg
      Get real. Stop crying.

      1. @reg
        I know all about it, you’re talking complete and utter rubbish. You are continually misusing the word ‘propaganda’, because you’re too stupid to know what it means.

        It won’t be long before primitive apes like yourself are made extinct.

      2. @Neutralino
        Once again, just insults. Nothing that can back up your point of view, if there is any point of view at all.

      3. @regs
        It isn’t forbidden in public, stop lying please. Or alternatively provide some evidence to back up your ludicrous claims.
        I’m quite happy to wait, but I know you’ll scuttle away like the cockroach you are.

      4. He is wearing this helmet exactly for this reason. To educate people like you @reg. Your first comment (right or wrong debatable)was there to represent your opinion. Your continuous contribution and the manner to the matter on the other hand shows you need to read more and educate yourself before you comment again. Hence the helmet.

      5. @Neutralino
        Sure, age restrictions are not legal, just because you think so.

        And Civil Code 6.21 here is clear what is not allowed to propagate among kids.

      6. @regs
        Please explain how a flag is age-restricted. I’m happy to wait again, because the ‘evidence’ you provided is again total nonsense.
        And what country’s Civil Code is that, if I may ask?

        If that is all you have, then you are really scraping the bottom of the barrel.

      7. Code on Administrative Offenses*

  2. Get ready for the internet to get angry and offended, and in a bonkers example of irony somehow say something about woke people getting offended and being snowflakes.

    Hamilton and Vettel have become incredible role models. I never rated Vettel for many years but a chunk of me is a bit in love with him now and I’ve found myself cheering him on.

    1. Ah yes, incredible role models in tax avoidance, so they can preach platitudes from their ivory towers, which costs them nothing. At least they’ve spent their fortunes on something benefiting comunity, like a hospital, right? No? Oh…

      1. Jay (@slightlycrusty)
        19th November 2021, 11:37

        Hamilton gives a lot of time and money to charities.

        1. @slightlycrusty I’m afraid hospitals can’t be run on Hamilton’s time and charity donations.

          1. Jay (@slightlycrusty)
            19th November 2021, 12:26

            @ivan-vinitskyy That’s incorrect. He gives time and money to Great Ormand Hospital.

          2. If Lewis and Seb make statements, I think it’s totally fine, whether it picking up rubbish in Northamptonshire (or wherever Silverstone is) or supporting the LGBT community. These are ideas I like to think we all support.

            Who does or doesn’t pay tax, or has done something bad in their past doesn’t disqualify them from making a statement, one thing doesn’t separate you from everything that makes you, ‘you’. We’ve all done stuff in our lives we’d rather not have done. If you’re offended by the colour scheme on a drivers helmet, then I’d suggest it’s the idea itself that you’re not comfortable with.

            What either of them as done or continues to do is not the statement they’re making, you can’t say I don’t care about the environment because this bloke was behind ‘Multi-2-1’.

            I like them doing it, it doesn’t mean I have to like them as people, that was never the offer. Lewis says and does some daft stuff (I’m not overly excited by his forthcoming music career), but in this instance he is just stating the obvious on behalf of others who don’t have the platform. I find it hard to criticise that.

      2. How do you know that about Vettel, he is so closed that he might well be doing that @armchairexpert (fitting name indeed); and HAM has been putting money at several climate projects, as well as that foundation, together with Mercedes, to actively help increase diversity in science and motorsports, which will help there. Just because it isn’t the goal you want them to support, doesn’t mean they aren’t supporting a community in a way they feel right.

      3. The tax avoidance thing does baffle me. I live in the UK and pay UK tax, I dont live in the USA, so I dont pay them tax, so am I a tax dodger too?
        Lewis doesnt live in the UK, so why should he have to pay tax in the UK?

        1. He does technically work in the UK, when he comes over for races or car development. Living doesn’t matter.

          1. @ivan-vinitskyy Good news: Hamilton is one of the highest UK tax payers so you don’t need to irrelevantly worry about that!

          2. @hazelsouthwell That’s not how tax works, you don’t have to pay more than others. You just need to pay the right %, like majority. I doubt he’s doing that.

          3. It sounds like you have no clue about tax laws, or how Hamilton is paid, or where he pays tax. But I would be interested in how much he is scamming the IRS on his US earnings if you have that information.

          4. Where you live definitely matters. I live in Spain, but I occasionally teach English in the summer in London. I don’t pay any tax in Britain because I’m not considered resident there as I spent at least 9-10 months of the year in Spain.

          5. Ian dearing, in this instance I don’t care about law or tax avoidance schemes. It’s about what I deam to be moral / just.

          6. @hazelsouthwell Hamilton is one of the highest UK earners so it is right he is one of the highest tax payers. The fact is he doesn’t pay the amount he is liable for due to tax aviodance schemes. For all the talk of equality he is as bad as any Tory when it comes fairness and a hypocrite who deludes his fanbase into thinking he is a role model due to his frequent empty gestures such as the ones we see in this story to aviod further interrogation into his actual morals and ethics.

          7. Living does matter. If I work for an Irish company they have to pay Irish tax by Irish tax rules. However I personally do not pay income tax to Ireland I pay it to the UK.

            Where you reside is key in tax law.

            Meanwhile our leading politicians are living in the UK getting paid by UK taxpayers and yet putting their investments in offshore accounts to avoid paying UK tax!

      4. @armchairexpert

        Ah yes, incredible role models in tax avoidance, so they can preach platitudes from their ivory towers, which costs them nothing.

        Tax avoidance is not only a reasonable for someone to do with their money, it’s their natural right as an individual. No state will erase that. If Hamilton wants to pay taxes elsewhere, what’s the problem? He should do that if he’s not dumb, as we all actually should choose our jurisdiction freely.

      5. Human nature, pay the least amount of tax as you can. No one sits down and says, “I think I haven’t paid my fair share, I shall write the govt a check”.

        1. @blueruck exactly. Anyone who says they’re happy to pay more tax than they can absolutely get away with, is outright lying to everyone and themselves.

      6. @armchairexpert do you apply that standard across all of the drivers on the grid? Verstappen shifted himself to Monaco for tax purposes, where he’s in pretty good company alongside Bottas, Ricciardo and Giovinazzi (Leclerc too, but at least in his case he was actually born there). Meanwhile, Raikkonen, Stroll, Alonso, Tsunoda and Mick Schumacher are all resident in Switzerland (albeit Mick was born in Switzerland).

        Are you going to start railing against those drivers as well for failing to contribute to their communities?

    2. I expected something like “no princess dress for boys”

  3. Jay (@slightlycrusty)
    19th November 2021, 11:24

    I really do admire him for taking a stand on these issues, it’s great to see a public figure advocating secularism and non-discrimination.

  4. And what is F1’s propaganda, trying to hold majority of the races in Saudi Arabia and similar countries (Qatar isn’t any different really)? I’m slightly irritated by lgbtq (if that’s the latest term) propaganda, better to say how it’s done, but at least I understand the need behind it. I don’t understand races being held at the same place where people stone other people (usually women) to death. Since F1 claims to be “promoting culture” of the countries it visits, will stoning be included in the opening ceremony at least? Perhaps some symbolic stoning at least, each driver throws one rock at a two dolls representing a man and a woman that kissed in public and dared to do that without being married? I sound overly dramatic or even crazy, but the craziest thing is that they really are going to be racing in an actual hell on Earth (for many people). If Hamilton was living in S. Arabia and living the same life, he’d certainly be in jail by now at least, probably at least being flogged in public, if not worse. Same goes for most if not all other drivers.

    1. I hate to say it but F1 is acting like the mafia just at the moment.

      It feels it can do just about anything so long as it can be justified by saying that it increases the sport’s fan base and revenue.

      The teenagers of today are not going embrace F1 if it turns a blind-eye to torture, oppression and restrictions on human expression.

    2. You forgot the “+” at the end of that. :-)

    3. Double…Multiple standards.

      IoW they say that the west (where they are allowed more freedom&justice than everywhere else) must be radically changed, but these countries (where is actually systemic and they would be silenced for saying so) get a pass from them…

  5. Get in there Lewis!

    1. Hope he keeps that design in the next two races!

  6. There are no non-sporting reasons not to support Vettel or Hamilton. Truly outstanding role models.

    1. @hahostolze

      There are no non-sporting reasons not to support Vettel or Hamilton. Truly outstanding role models.

      There actually is, and it’s called hypocrisy. He’s a guy with good intentions, okay. But he’ll not care about other things which aren’t part of his specific agenda (and which by coherence he should).

    2. I’m proud of what they’ve become. They have my strong support off the track.

    3. Hamilton only does it for the brownie points and to be accepted among those jet-set socialites that propagate such gospel.

      If they would have an opposite opinion, he would too without even questioning.

  7. @regs
    Please explain how a flag is age-restricted. I’m happy to wait again, because the ‘evidence’ you provided is again total nonsense.
    And what country’s Civil Code is that, if I may ask?

    If that is all you have, then you are really scraping the bottom of the barrel.

  8. The last time Vettel did something like this in a country would wasn’t pro, he ended up taking a penalty. Lets hope the same misfortune doesn’t follow Hamilton.

  9. Vettel has always been a very private man, for him to take a stand… Respect! Hamilton has never been shy to face criticism for his stands (many of them) Respect!

  10. @reg
    Not supporting a particular, individual Russian driver is completely different from tarring all of a particular group with the same brush.
    There’s frankly no place here for your abhorrent and backward views.

    1. OK, I get it. Being racist is a fine in western society now. LGBT is a new mainstream trend.

  11. You know, political people have double…multiple standards, otherwise they wouldn’t be political.

  12. Actually it’s good that there is someone to carry rainbow flags in racing weekends, and at the same time it’s good that other drivers simply don’t bother with it. For the same reason, it’s good to have people supporting it unconditionally and others criticising it. Freedom of expression and diversity of thought, babe!

  13. There’s no comparison between LGBT & women abuse in islamic countries which is actually systemic compared to the west, not even close, which is funny as if the activists were actually serious about it, you would see them up in arms first and foremost in those countries.

    But most “activists” give islamic countries a pass, like they don’t really care so much about the issue where really is actually prevalent, but are only interested in the west. Like they’re after something else…

    1. You are talking total rubbish. There are regular protests in western countries about treatment of women and minorities in other countries. You will not see many protests in those countries as they are clamped down pretty ruthlessly. I am not aware of any protest groups giving middle Eastern countries a free pass unless you have evidence of this you would like to share with us?

      Sporting bodies are the ones doing the free pass. People have been imprisoned, trapped, killed and left in practical slavery building the world cup stadiums in Qatar but despite protests by the very groups you claim fail to say anything about other countries… FIFA fail to say anything about it.

  14. Rational Human Being Lewis Hamilton. 100%.
    Rational Human Being Sebastian Vettel. 100%.

    1. I’d rather be a robot then

  15. Then you’re not paying enough attention.

    Your 2nd paragraph is somehow correct though there’s a good reason for that, but even hardcore feminists consider that saying something bad about Islam is terrible, they use burkas as virtue signaling & “support” (not for women but for islam), and knowing about the sub-human status women have under that culture, turn a blind eye or justify as it’s because the white men or something like that.

    It’s hypocritical & cringey.

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