Kimi Raikkonen's helmet, 2021 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix

Raikkonen reveals throwback lid as half of field produce special designs for finale

2021 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix F1 drivers' helmet designs

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More than half the Formula 1 grid are celebrating the end of the season – or the end of their time with their teams – by adopting special helmet designs this weekend.

Valtteri Bottas’ 2021 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix helmet

Valtteri Bottas' 2021 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix helmet
Valtteri Bottas’ 2021 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix helmet

Valtteri Bottas is celebrating his 101st and final grand prix as a Mercedes driver with a special helmet for the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix. The design features a series of snapshots of memorable moments throughout Bottas’s five seasons racing for the team he could secure a clean sweep of five constructors’ championships with this weekend.

Lando Norris’ 2021 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix helmet

Lando Norris' 2021 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix helmet design
Lando Norris’ 2021 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix helmet

McLaren are ending the 2021 season with their second special livery of the year and Lando Norris will complement it with this striking zigzag design featuring a colourful, iridescent effect.

Charles Leclerc’s 2021 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix helmet

Charles Leclerc's 2021 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix helmet
Charles Leclerc’s 2021 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix helmet

Charles Leclerc’s Abu Dhabi Grand Prix helmet encapsulates the theme of ‘repetition’ for the final race weekend of the season. Designed by Leclerc’s friend, artist Fred Allard, the helmet features motifs such as Leclerc’s name, the Ferrari prancing horse symbol and the word ‘love’ repeated multiple times throughout the design.

Carlos Sainz Jnr’s 2021 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix helmet

Carlos Sainz Jnr's 2021 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix helmet
Carlos Sainz Jnr’s 2021 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix helmet

With the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix starting in the twilight and ending under a night’s sky, illuminated by floodlights, Carlos Sainz Jnr’s special helmet for the final round of the season has a glow-in-the-dark quality to it.

Sebastian Vettel’s 2021 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix helmet

Sebastian Vettel's 2021 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix helmet
Sebastian Vettel’s 2021 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix helmet

Sebastian Vettel has become increasingly outspoken about environmental and social issues that he is passionate about in 2021. As he as often done this season, Vettel wears his beliefs on his helmet design again this weekend, with his white helmet emblazoned with a series of phrases promoting awareness of LGBTQ+ rights, climate change, sustainability and more.

Yuki Tsunoda’s 2021 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix helmet

Yuki Tsunoda's 2021 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix helmet
Yuki Tsunoda’s 2021 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix helmet

The final grand prix for Honda as a factory power unit supplier in the V6 turbo era could be the one where they win one or both of the world championships. To honour their seven seasons back in F1, the only Japanese driver on the grid, Yuki Tsunoda, has this special tribute helmet design marking the four separate eras that Honda has been involved as an engine supplier in the sport.

Kimi Raikkonen’s 2021 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix helmet

Kimi Raikkonen's 2021 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix helmet
Kimi Raikkonen’s 2021 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix helmet

At the end of Formula 1’s longest career in terms of race participations, Kimi Raikkonen will don a helmet for the 349th and final grand prix start. He will do so with this retro design, inspired by his first helmet used on his debut with the team then known as Sauber back in 2001, sporting the colours of the Finnish flag.

Antonio Giovinazzi’s 2021 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix helmet

Antonio Giovinazzi's 2021 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix helmet
Antonio Giovinazzi’s 2021 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix helmet

On what will be his final race for Alfa Romeo and possibly his own last ever grand prix, Antonio Giovinazzi is paying tribute to his world championship winning team mate by running a design inspired by Raikkonen’s triumphant 2007 season with Ferrari. It features a special message of ‘thanks Kimi’ along the top.

George Russell’s 2021 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix helmet

George Russell's 2021 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix helmet
George Russell’s 2021 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix helmet

This weekend marks George Russell’s final race for Williams before his move to Mercedes next season. Russell’s team pay their respects to the departing driver with personal messages of thanks and well-wishes from mechanics and team members to the driver.

Nikita Mazepin’s 2021 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix helmet

Nikita Mazepin's 2021 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix helmet
Nikita Mazepin’s 2021 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix helmet

Nikita Mazepin looks to end his rookie season in F1 in style by adopting this opulent gold and red scheme on his helmet for this weekend.

Mick Schumacher’s 2021 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix helmet

Mick Schumacher's 2021 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix helmet
Mick Schumacher’s 2021 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix helmet

At the end of a long and difficult season for the Haas team, Mick Schumacher is showing his appreciation for every member of his team this weekend. Schumacher’s helmet will feature a series of stars – reminiscent of those on the American flag the team races under – with each star representing a member of the Haas team.

Tribute helmet to outgoing FIA president Jean Todt

Kimi Raikkonen signs a helmet for outgoing FIA president Jean Todt
Kimi Raikkonen signs a helmet for outgoing FIA president Jean Todt

With this grand prix being the final to take place under Jean Todt’s FIA presidency before he reaches the end of his third and final term in the position, all 20 drivers who will line up on Sunday’s grid have signed a special helmet tribute to pay their respects to the departing Todt.

2021 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix

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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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14 comments on “Raikkonen reveals throwback lid as half of field produce special designs for finale”

  1. Some fantastic designs.

    Lando Norris’s is off-the-chart good! 💥

    1. Lando’s helmet, also really like how Giovanazzis helmet with Kimi tribute turned out myself

      1. Both Kimi tribute helmets are pretty nice agree @bascb, and yeah, Norris keeping his generally high interest level of design.

        I also like the feeling of Russell’s and Vettel’s helmets, though it isn’t about the ‘design’ there.

  2. All great except Tsunodas. I have always disliked the redbull family lids as the logos are too big and leave little for a personal design. Lando’s and Charles’s are my favourites

  3. Lando’s design is my outright favorite. Shines well in the dark.

  4. Vettel’s should get a special mention.

  5. At least Nikita can lift some gold above his head at the end of the race.

    1. Much better designer than driver :))

  6. Two observations

    Antonio Giovinazzi – On what will be his final race for Alfa Romeo and possibly his own last ever grand prixouch!

    Nikita Mazepin – Looks like he’s celebrating his fairy tale world championship.

    1. Who says Nikita cannot still win this WDC? All it takes is enough penalties for the rest of the drivers.

      1. Or a Mercedes seat…

  7. Nice touch by Seb putting, “Thank you Greta!” on his helmet.

    1. Greta is a blatantly controlled puppet to usher in an agenda that will reward the 1% with even more money and control.

  8. Mazepins helmet looks like something from the movie Nacho Libre.

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