Lewis Hamilton’s best helmets throughout his time in Formula 1

Lewis Hamilton goes into his 20th season in Formula 1 with one of the most impressive legacies in sport. He holds the record for the most wins, pole positions, podiums, points, and laps led, along with a stunning seven World Championships. But racing excellence is far from the only string to Hamilton’s bow...

Over his career, the Briton has earned respect in the fields of fashion, philanthropy, music, film and activism - bringing all of these interests together with his passion for design to produce some iconic helmets. So, to celebrate the Ferrari driver’s 41st birthday, let’s take a look at his glittering career through some of his best lids.

McLaren – Years in Yellow

2007

During his karting days, Hamilton had a Ferrari red helmet, but his father, Anthony, wanted to spot him on track more easily, so they switched to a predominately yellow lid. That yellow has followed Hamilton ever since, debuting it in his maiden F1 season for McLaren in 2007, where he missed out on the title by a single point.

2008

Hamilton was once again in yellow when he went one better than 2007, taking the 2008 Drivers’ Championship amid a battle with Ferrari’s home favourite Felipe Massa in the season finale at Interlagos.

2009 British Grand Prix

Special helmets have been a regular feature for Hamilton whenever they’ve been permitted, including this one for his third appearance at Silverstone in 2009. Although Hamilton had a horrid time down in 16th that year, his home track played host to some of his greatest career drives.

2010 Monaco Grand Prix

Inspired by the casinos of Monaco, this helmet certainly caught the eye in the Principality.

2011 Indian Grand Prix

Hamilton has frequently referenced his love of music, including this lid paying tribute to the legendary reggae artist Bob Marley.

2012 Singapore Grand Prix

Although the ‘Lion of Singapore’ was a title given to Sebastian Vettel, Hamilton certainly has had his moments around the original night race. His helmet featured Singapore’s mascot on the top, but despite taking pole position around Marina Bay, his gearbox failed on Lap 1 to end his weekend.

2012 United States Grand Prix

A special design for a special race, as Hamilton won the first race at the Circuit of The Americas donning the US flag.

Mercedes 2013-2019 – Red, White and Championships

2013

Taking the gamble to move to Mercedes was a masterstroke from Hamilton, but he had to endure a slower 2013 before the wins started flowing. The Briton kept a similar yellow design, but the first signs of red on his helmet started to appear.

2013 Monaco Grand Prix

The now Monaco resident wore an eye-catching design in 2013, featuring then-girlfriend Nicole Scherzinger and the beloved Roscoe.

2014

A new era of cars brought a new era of helmets, as the Briton's fortunes reached new heights - he would go on to win six of the next seven World Championships. Red and white became a regular feature for half a decade, while the words ‘Still I Rise’ from poet Maya Angelou were emblazoned on the back.

2015

Helmet creativity took a hit in 2015 after the FIA introduced rules to make drivers more recognisable by having similar or identical designs throughout the season. Fans were getting used to the new red and white as Hamilton kept a similar design from 2014, adding two stars to represent his two titles that he’d claimed at the time.

2016

Two stars became three after his 2015 triumph, as Hamilton stuck to his ‘candy apple’ red design, but this helmet didn’t prove to be so fruitful. An engine failure in Malaysia combined with superb consistency from Rosberg meant the German secured his first and only title at the season finale in Yas Marina.

2017

Hamilton decided to switch it up after his 2016 Championship heartbreak, hosting a competition for fans to design his new helmet for the year. In the end, the Brazilian Rai Caldato won, with his effort paying tribute to Hamilton’s hero Ayrton Senna. The design featured blue, green and yellow stripes - the Brazilian colours - while keeping some of the ‘candy apple’ red that had featured for years.

2018

Another year of dominance in his W09 Mercedes gave Hamilton a Fangio-equalling fifth Championship, and it was time for the Briton to celebrate. Hamilton went all out for the season finale in Abu Dhabi, putting the number 1 on his car for the first time and wearing a special golden lid to mark the occasion.

2019

The Hamilton and Mercedes partnership was simply unstoppable in the turbo-hybrid era, producing a stellar season featuring 11 wins and 17 podiums. Hamilton secured his sixth title while wearing a red-heavy design that would be the last of its kind.

2019 Monaco Grand Prix

The late Niki Lauda influenced so many in F1, but perhaps none more so than Hamilton. The Austrian persuaded Hamilton to take a chance on Mercedes back in 2013, so when he passed away in 2019 a week before Monaco, it was only right that the Briton honoured his legacy with a special red design featuring an ‘L’ on the lid. To top it all off, an emotional Hamilton took pole and the win.

Mercedes 2020-2024 – Creativity with Meaning

2020

A shortened 2020 season due to the pandemic still produced some iconic moments and designs for Hamilton. The Briton combined his dedication to activism with his creativity to produce a striking purple and black helmet design which spotlighted the ‘Black Lives Matter’ movement. With Mercedes also switching to an all-black livery, Hamilton spent the season pushing hard for equality – and winning as he did it. The W11 was one of the greatest cars ever produced, missing the podium only twice and failing to take pole only once – with Hamilton taking his seventh title after a mesmerising drive in Turkey.

2021 Qatar Grand Prix

Hamilton’s favourite colour, purple, returned for the 2021 season, but with the rules on helmet designs relaxing, we got some more one-off helmets to marvel at. The Mercedes driver has used the rainbow design a number of times during his career, helping to raise awareness for the Pride movement.

2021 British Grand Prix

An artist collaboration in 2021 produced a unique helmet for Hamilton’s home race. ‘Mad Dog Jones’ added the names of Silverstone's famous corners, as well as a recycling sign, a Black Lives Matter logo, and Maya Angelou’s famous words.

2022

The purple and black era came to an end in 2022, coinciding with the regulation change that hurt Mercedes’ form. Hamilton opted to return to his yellow roots, saying that he wanted to approach the season with the same “dedication, drive and passion” as his karting days.

2023 Japanese Grand Prix

Hamilton combined his favourites of purple and yellow for his penultimate season with Mercedes, but another artist collaboration for Suzuka produced his most spectacular lid to date. Hajime Sorayama produced the metallic helmet with an illuminated visor – it was impossible to take your eyes off it.

2024 Brazilian Grand Prix

Another slow year meant Hamilton’s quest for a record-breaking eighth title would go on, with 2024 bringing his Mercedes chapter to an end. However, there were some high points, with two wins, including another home victory, and a special weekend in Brazil, where Hamilton has honorary citizenship and got the opportunity to drive Senna’s 1990 McLaren. Hamilton has an affinity with the people of the South American country, and his helmet covered in the Brazilian flag was a fan favourite.

2024 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix

An emotional final outing for Mercedes only resulted in P4, but the Brackley outfit honoured their driver with a lid signed by the whole team, while the design featured a red star for Lauda and the German for ‘thank you’, ‘Danke’, on the back.

Ferrari – Special Scuderia Lids

2025

After so long with Mercedes, it was unusual watching Hamilton in Ferrari red, but the Briton’s excitement to join the Italian team was clear to see. Once again, Hamilton went back to where it all started, donning the yellow from his childhood.

2025 Miami Grand Prix

The Sprint podium in Miami was a highlight in Hamilton’s tricky maiden season for the Scuderia, which he claimed while wearing a blue and white race suit, and special blue helmet.

2025 Italian Grand Prix

Hamilton had to wear something special for his first race in front of the Tifosi at Monza for Ferrari, and a white and yellow helmet featuring a tribute to Lauda, who won two titles with the Italian team, was a good way to do it.

2025 Singapore Grand Prix

The golden lid for Singapore looked stunning under the lights of the Marina Bay Street Circuit.

2025 Las Vegas Grand Prix

Hamilton brought something dazzling for the ‘City of Lights,’ wearing a helmet covered in silver glitter to stand out as he sped through the Vegas streets.

2025 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix

A long season for the seven-time World Champion came to an end in Abu Dhabi, but he had one last special helmet to show off. A metallic masterpiece with seven stars and sparkling yellow streaks brought the year to a close.