Formula 1's Miami Grand Prix may be a little bit less of a race and a little bit more of an all-around spectacle, but I’m pleased to report that the grid is celebrating in style. Multiple drivers on the grid are boasting special one-off helmets for the Florida race, and I have to be honest — I’m impressed by the creativity. Today, we’re running through all the one-off designs the 2023 drivers have debuted.
I think Lando Norris has just set the bar impossibly high for everyone in the entire world who might consider a one-off helmet. This beach ball look is an incredibly fun take on the Miami theme, and his designer even added a fun “warning” to make it more authentic.
For the uninitiated, Alex Albon’s girlfriend is a professional golfer named Lily He — so his golf-themed helmet, as well as He’s inclusion in his memeified promo release video — makes sense.
While I appreciate Esteban Ocon’s dedication to bright, fun colors, the blue-and-pink Miami vibe might just be bordering a little too far on the verge of “camp” for me. It still looks cool as hell, though.
Haas is America’s F1 team, so I was hoping its drivers would turn up with some great lids. Hulkenberg’s features a sunshine-in-the-palm-trees motif that goes well with the dusty blue of the rest of the helmet. It’s striking without being too over the top.
Red Bull Racing have debuted a whole new livery just for this race, so Max Verstappen kinda had to turn up with a fun helmet — and this is a good one. He’s retained his logo and lion motif while also adding in some gorgeous blue shades and shadows of palm fronds.
Florida Man Logan Sargeant has definitely gone all-out for his first-ever home race with a frightfully tacky helmet that incorporates the campy pink-and-blue color scheme, the palm trees, airbrush art styles, and also a massive American flag. It’s kind of a mess to look at, but I also think it most accurately captures the full Florida spirit.
While Magnussen’s helmet isn’t anything too different from his normal look, I just want to give him a shoutout for how damn well it coordinates with Haas’ Miami-themed overalls.
I can’t even deny it: I’m a big sucker for pink, and the influence of the upcoming Barbie movie will inevitably be my time to shine. It seems like Pierre Gasly is in the exact same boat for the Miami GP.
Charles Leclerc has also jumped on the palm frond trend this weekend, but his combination of teal (for Miami, presumably) and red (for Ferrari) set on a white background actually makes this lid look pretty slick. Great work, Chuck.
Where Leclerc has gone for a light scheme, Ferrari teammate Carlos Sainz Jr. has done the opposite. An ombré red-to-black strip down the center of the helmet from chin to back of the neck gives way to fluorescent pink and blue on the sides. These colors shouldn’t work together, but somehow they do.
I think I’m realizing how much I enjoy a nice white helmet overlaid with bright colors — just like what Yuki Tsunoda will be rocking this weekend.