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\u2019s bow…<\/p>\n
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<\/a> driver\u2019s 41st birthday, let\u2019s take a look at his glittering career through some of his best lids.<\/p>\n McLaren \u2013 Years in Yellow<\/p>\n 2007<\/p>\n During his karting days, Hamilton<\/a> 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<\/a> in 2007, where he missed out on the title by a single point.<\/p>\n 2008<\/p>\n Hamilton was once again in yellow when he went one better than 2007, taking the 2008 Drivers\u2019 Championship amid a battle with Ferrari\u2019s home favourite Felipe Massa in the season finale at Interlagos<\/a>.<\/p>\n 2009 British Grand Prix<\/p>\n Special helmets have been a regular feature for Hamilton whenever they\u2019ve 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.<\/p>\n 2010 Monaco Grand Prix<\/p>\n Inspired by the casinos of Monaco, this helmet certainly caught the eye in the Principality.<\/p>\n 2011 Indian Grand Prix<\/p>\n Hamilton has frequently referenced his love of music, including this lid paying tribute to the legendary reggae artist Bob Marley.<\/p>\n 2012 Singapore Grand Prix<\/p>\n Although the \u2018Lion of Singapore\u2019 was a title given to Sebastian Vettel<\/a>, Hamilton certainly has had his moments around the original night race. His helmet featured Singapore\u2019s mascot on the top, but despite taking pole position around Marina Bay, his gearbox failed on Lap 1 to end his weekend.<\/p>\n 2012 United States Grand Prix<\/p>\n A special design for a special race, as Hamilton won the first race at the Circuit of The Americas donning the US flag.<\/p>\n Mercedes 2013-2019 \u2013 Red, White and Championships<\/p>\n 2013<\/p>\n Taking the gamble to move to Mercedes<\/a> 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.<\/p>\n 2013 Monaco Grand Prix<\/p>\n The now Monaco resident wore an eye-catching design in 2013, featuring then-girlfriend Nicole Scherzinger and the beloved Roscoe.<\/p>\n 2014<\/p>\n 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 \u2018Still I Rise\u2019 from poet Maya Angelou were emblazoned on the back.<\/p>\n 2015<\/p>\n 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\u2019d claimed at the time.<\/p>\n 2016<\/p>\n Two stars became three after his 2015 triumph, as Hamilton stuck to his \u2018candy apple\u2019 red design, but this helmet didn\u2019t prove to be so fruitful. An engine failure in Malaysia combined with superb consistency from Rosberg<\/a> meant the German secured his first and only title at the season finale in Yas Marina.<\/p>\n 2017<\/p>\n 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\u2019s hero Ayrton Senna<\/a>. The design featured blue, green and yellow stripes – the Brazilian colours – while keeping some of the \u2018candy apple\u2019 red that had featured for years.<\/p>\n 2018<\/p>\n Another year of dominance in his W09 Mercedes gave Hamilton a Fangio<\/a>-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.<\/p>\n 2019<\/p>\n 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.<\/p>\n 2019 Monaco Grand Prix<\/p>\n The late Niki Lauda<\/a> 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 \u2018L\u2019 on the lid. To top it all off, an emotional Hamilton took pole and the win.<\/p>\n Mercedes 2020-2024 \u2013 Creativity with Meaning<\/p>\n 2020<\/p>\n