From Bottas's badger to Antonelli's Monaco refresh: F1's special helmet designs ranked

Five Formula 1 drivers have unveiled custom helmet designs for the Monaco Grand Prix at Circuit de Monaco, with themes ranging from a pet badger and pre-war motorsport history to LEGO collaborations and a new hydration brand.

Valtteri Bottas is wearing arguably the most eye-catching lid on the grid: a badger-themed design created by his partner, cyclist Tiffany Cromwell. The helmet pays tribute to a wild badger the couple has informally adopted as a nightly visitor at their home, naming the animal Nigel. The Cadillac driver’s visor area is framed by the badger’s face, making it one of the more distinctive designs seen in the paddock in recent years.

Pierre Gasly has used the Monaco weekend to launch Minded, a sugar-free, calorie-free hydration drink he has been developing for more than two years. His helmet mirrors the brand’s red and silver colour scheme, with the Minded logo across the front. The Alpine driver announced the venture on Instagram, describing the product as “water, but better” and noting it contains 800mg of electrolytes alongside essential vitamins.

Nico Hulkenberg’s design honours Tazio Nuvolari, the Italian pre-war racing driver widely regarded as one of the greatest in motorsport history and a star of the Auto Union era. The tribute coincides with Audi’s launch of the Nuvolari supercar — the brand’s fastest road car to date — which Hulkenberg promoted alongside the helmet reveal. “A legendary racer who won Grands Prix for Auto Union back in the 1930s,” Hulkenberg wrote on Instagram.

Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri are both racing in LEGO Edition helmets this weekend, introduced by McLaren to mark the team’s 1,000th Formula 1 race. The designs retain each driver’s established 2025 colour schemes while incorporating the team’s signature papaya orange.

Kimi Antonelli, who leads the 2025 Drivers’ Championship, has debuted a white and blue helmet for his second Monaco Grand Prix. “Wanted to go for a special look for such a unique race,” the Mercedes driver posted on Instagram.