Sebastian Vettel's retirement: his 5 most memorable helmets

Sebastian Vettel will hang up his helmet Formula 1 on the evening of the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix this Sunday, November 20. In fact, the four-time world champion has carved out a reputation as a great fan of helmet designs since 2007. It's difficult to choose five creations among the 170 or so versions imagined by the German artist. Jens Munser…

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5. Abu Dhabi Grand Prix 2022

Sebastian Vettel called on 1 of his fans to decorate his helmet with their faces. Fans had to place bids to appear on the helmet. The money collected will then be donated to environmental protection organizations.

Sebastian Vettel's “The Final Lap” helmet for his last Formula 1 race.

Thank you to all the fans!

Reply with a picture if you have found yourself on the helmet. More pics will follow in this thread.#AbuDhabiGP # SV5 #Vettel 🪡1 pic.twitter.com/AOkhVcpcsY

— 𝙅𝑈𝑒𝑒𝑒𝑒𝑒𝑒 (@JMD_helmets) November 18, 2022

“I wanted to do something special for the last race, and I thought about the support I received during my career, so it was a good idea to auction off some space for a good cause, concludes the man nicknamed “Baby Schumi” when he started in F1. As you can see there are lots of faces young and old, I even spotted a dog in it, so lots of people participated! »

4. 2019 Italian Grand Prix

Sebastian Vettel is passionate about his sport. He knows the weight that Scuderia Ferrari represents in the F1 landscape and wants to celebrate the Italian team during the visit to Monza, the year of the 90th anniversary of the brand. Maranello.

Monza 2019#Seb5 #Vettel # SV5 #ItalianGP 🇮🇹 pic.twitter.com/BlwvZ9CtIC

— 𝙅𝑈𝑒𝑒𝑒𝑒𝑒𝑒 (@JMD_helmets) September 3, 2020

In a nod to the 1970s, the decoration is similar to the helmets made by pilots of this period, who could use the same helmet for several seasons. Ferrari's Prancing Horse and Vettel's No. 5 are drawn on a matte background with a time-worn appearance. They are applied to the helmet with clear varnish, as a helmet designer used to do – with masking tape or stencils, with a spray can and the inevitable tears. The "used" look is perfectly implemented, including the (painted) chips on the front and the mosquito residue, like after a race.

Former Ferrari driver Nino Vaccarella's helmet was one of the inspirations behind Sebastian Vettel's 2019 Monza design.

RIP pic.twitter.com/gNuBfhpEfu

— 𝙅𝑈𝑒𝑒𝑒𝑒𝑒𝑒 (@JMD_helmets) September 23, 2021

3. 2018 German Grand Prix

For Sebastian Vettel, this helmet symbolizes the failure of the quest for a fifth world title. While comfortably leading his national Grand Prix, the leader of the Scuderia was surprised by a downpour and ended his race in the gravel at Hockenheim, while his rival Lewis Hamilton (Mercedes) pocketed the 25 points for victory.

The process of creating the helmet. © JMD Designs

Too bad because this helmet is one of the most “arty” ever used by the native of Heppenheim. Invited to the winter tests in Barcelona a few months earlier, Berliner Christoph Niemann was struck by this visual spectacle of the single-seaters racing at 300 km/h. “Apart from the fact that I had to include the German colors, I had free rein. The colored circles are next to the ears to reproduce the fascinating sound of these cars. Vettel told me how important it is in his job to concentrate on the essentials. So I started with different stripes at the back, overlapping at first, then becoming parallel and ending with a single red line at the front. »

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2. 2013 Monaco Grand Prix

Since the emergence of the fashion for special helmets, the Principality has been “the” meeting place for glamor and glitter. In a season where Sebastian Vettel dominates his subject, the wearer of No. 1 takes the opposite view and plays it “vintage”. As an enlightened fan of his sport, he incorporates images of the 1961 Monaco Grand Prix, won by the Lotus 18 with the airy side bodywork of Sir Stirling Moss, all on a creamy white base of the most beautiful effect:

The vintage helmet from Monaco 2013. © DPPI / F. Flamand

Facetiously, Sebastian Vettel added a pine-up from the 1950s on the back of the helmet. What he hadn't explained was that the sticker on the lady's clothes disappeared with the heat of the sun, and revealed her naked body...

What a rascal this Vettel is! © DPPI / F. Flamand

1. 2012 Singapore Grand Prix

It's certainly not the aesthetic masterpiece of Sebastian Vettel's career, but the ingenuity displayed by this helmet is unparalleled in the entire history of F1. Indeed, Jens Munser added several flashing LEDs to the top of the helmet in order to shine in the Singapore night race.

Seb's favorite design: "Too many helmets to pick from when it comes to a favorite. I loved the lights on the Singapore '12 design. Before it was banned!"

📷 @peterjfoxf1 #SingaporeGP 🇸🇬 #Seb5 #Vettel pic.twitter.com/cH9UE9ekZ5

— 𝙅𝑈𝑒𝑒𝑒𝑒𝑒𝑒 (@JMD_helmets) September 14, 2019

A miniature battery, located inside the helmet, enabled light operation during the entire event, the longest of the season (nearly two hours). Stricken in a retrograde posture, the FIA ​​judged this innovation dangerous, and banned in its regulations any use of batteries in a helmet from the following round.

A brilliant idea! © JMD Design