22/02/2017
NEWS STORY
Lewis Hamilton has revealed the fan-designed helmet livery he will sport this season.
While Max Verstappen and Daniel Ricciardo appear to have let the Red Bull marketing people design the liveries for their 2017 lids, Lewis Hamilton held a competition whereby fans were allowed to submit their suggestions.
Though entrants had to keep to a basic design, namely the incorporation of the Mercedes logo and that of various sponsors, Hamilton wanted something "stylish, inspiring, iconic and eye-catching".
In addition to knowing that the three-time world champion would wear their design - possibly on his way to his fourth title - the winner was promised a meet-up with the Mercedes driver where they would be given a replica of the helmet. In total there were over 8,000 entries.
Today, after much deliberation, Hamilton announced the winner, which was suggested by Rai Caldato from Brazil.
"Rai evolves my layout by adding new stripe elements on the sides," says Hamilton. "As a tribute to my hero, Ayrton Senna the helmet features the colours of Brazil - green, yellow and blue. These are accompanied with the 3 stars that represent my championship wins.
"There's yellow throughout that reminds me of my helmets in the past," he adds. "The candy apple red balances with the yellow very well.
"I look forward to meeting you in person to present you with your prize!" he advised the winner. "Thank you all for entering this competition, I'm taken back by your creativity."