The final grand prix of the season is so often the last for at least a handful of drivers on the grid.
This weekend’s race sees several drivers leave their current teams for new pastures, and others start what will likely be their final grands prix.
Those drivers are celebrating their time in the sport with their helmet designs this weekend, while Lewis Hamilton is commemorating the end of the longest and most successful tenure for any driver at a single team in F1’s history. Here’s a look at them all.
Lewis Hamilton’s Abu Dhabi Grand Prix helmet
After almost 250 grands prix at Mercedes, the longest tenure for a driver with a single team in the sport’s history, Hamilton’s remarkably successfully stint with the Silver Arrows comes to an end on Sunday. The association between the two runs even deeper than this: Every one of Hamilton’s 355 grand prix starts and record 105 wins has come at the wheel of a Mercedes-powered car.
Combining the two colours that became iconic for him at Mercedes, yellow and purple, Hamilton’s final Mercedes race helmet features several Mercedes stars on the top of the helmet. The large red one in the centre is a nod to the late three-times world champion Niki Lauda, who played a crucial role in persuading Hamilton to join the team 12 years ago.
On the back is a single word: “danke” – meaning “thank you” in German.
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George Russell’s Abu Dhabi Grand Prix helmet
This weekend is also the final one that Hamilton and Russell will compete as team mates together. Although the partnership has not produced any championships, they have shared five grand prix victories, six pole positions and 34 podium finishes.
Russell pays tribute to his team mate with a graphic of the pair of them on the rear with the text “see you on the track” as well as the famous image of young Russell getting an autograph from his future team mate as a child on the crown.
Carlos Sainz Jnr’s Abu Dhabi Grand Prix helmet
Hamilton will replace Sainz at Ferrari next season, meaning this weekend is his final round for the Scuderia. Sainz is marking the four years he’s spent at the team with a helmet with several images depicting the best highlights over that time.
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Charles Leclerc’s Abu Dhabi Grand Prix helmet
Although they have had their ups and downs at times, Leclerc and Sainz have generally appeared to get on well together as team mates off the track.
Leclerc bids farewell to his team mate in his final race at Ferrari with the phrase “muchas gracias Carlos” on the top of his helmet, with the two top ‘s’ changed to fives to reflect Sainz’s racing number 55.
Esteban Ocon’s Abu Dhabi Grand Prix helmet
Esteban Ocon became an Alpine driver before the team took on that name, joining them in 2020 when they were still Renault. He won his only grand prix with the team at the 2021 Hungarian Grand Prix, the team’s only victory under its current guise.
Before his move to Haas, Ocon wanted to pay tribute to the team members at Enstone and Viry who have fought through challenging times to try and give him the best car he could with this helmet design. Unfortunately, Alpine’s leadership decided to replace him with Jack Doohan for this final round, meaning this design will go unraced.
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Jack Doohan’s Abu Dhabi Grand Prix helmet
With Ocon out, Doohan will make his F1 debut a few months earlier than expected this weekend in Abu Dhabi.
The 21-year-old’s first Formula 1 helmet design features this pink, blue and black colour scheme as well as the stars of the Southern Cross that appear on the flag of Australia.
Kevin Magnussen’s Abu Dhabi Grand Prix helmet
It’s been said and proven wrong before, but it looks like Sunday will be Kevin Magnussen’s final grand prix. He has spent the majority of his time in the sport with Haas, including the last three seasons after being called up to replace Nikita Mazepin.
Magnussen is celebrating his career and his family with an adorable design featuring several images of his wife and daughters taken from garages over the last three seasons.
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Valtteri Bottas’s Abu Dhabi Grand Prix helmet
Since it became official that Valtteri Bottas would not return to race with Sauber in 2025, the veteran has either been teasing his future plans – or possibly searching for opportunities – with the slogan “what’s next?” on social media.
For what could be his final grand prix of his career, Bottas is keeping up the mystery with the “what’s next?” branding on the top of his helmet this weekend. The glittery, pearlescent effect of his design is appropriately avant-garde for such an avant-garde driver.
Zhou Guanyu’s Abu Dhabi Grand Prix helmet
Like his team mate, Zhou is also marking what might be his final grand prix this weekend. After racing alongside Bottas for his three seasons in the world championship, Zhou and Bottas have formed one of the stronger bonds in the pit lane.
To commemorate his time in the series and his time with his team mate, Zhou’s helmet features snapshots of his best memories from the last three years, photos of his team mate and shots of his cat, Sweetcorn. If that was not cute enough, his helmet also includes the phrase “Valtteri, it’s been a pleasure” on the top.
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2024 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix
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