Max Verstappen has unveiled his special helmet he will wear as a tribute to his father Jos at the Dutch Grand Prix this weekend.
Verstappen romped to a dominant victory at the Belgian Grand Prix on Sunday, coming through the field from 14th on the grid to claim a stunning win. The result showcased both how the Red Bull dominates the grid in terms of performance and how the Dutchman is perhaps the most fearless and in-form driver in the world.
Jos used to compete in Formula 1 himself, but focused his energy on bettering his son’s opportunities to lay the groundwork for a successful career in the sport. Verstappen has often praised his father’s role in his development, commenting on how he played a critical role in his journey to F1 stardom.
However, Jos was a handy driver himself and enjoyed a career in F1 that spanned from 1994 to 20043. Verstappen arrives at his home event with a strong lead in the Drivers’ Championship and he has revealed his new helmet to celebrate a return to Zandvoort, inspired by father Jos’ old helmet.
“It's another special helmet reveal time,” Verstappen said in a video posted on Twitter on Tuesday. ”As you can see here, I have one of my dad's old helmets here next to me, and of course the Dutch Grand Prix is coming up and I thought this year would be a great time to appreciate all the efforts my dad made for me when I was a little kid, to bring me where I am today… winning the World Championship.
“Of course, with the Dutch Grand Prix coming up, we made a new version of it – of course with the Red Bull on the side – but you can see the old helmet design coming through, of my dad, on the back as well, with his original logo on it on the back, and my lion logo on the top.
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“It's a bit emotional as well, but I think it's just really special to drive something like this becasue it's also how I started in go-karting; all the old pictures I have of go-karting is with this iconic design, so that's why we thought it was a great idea to bring this back alive around Zandvoort.
“I hope a lot of Dutchies and also fans of my dad back in the day will appreciate this helmet.”
Verstappen will be hoping the new design brings him luck as he aims for a second successive win at Zandvoort. He romped to victory last year in front of a partisan crowd as the Dutch Grand Prix returned to the F1 calendar for the first time since 1985.
At the top of the standings, Red Bull star and reigning world champion Verstappen holds a 93-point lead over teammate Sergio Perez in the Drivers’ Championship while the Milton Keynes-based team lead Ferrari by 118 points in the Constructors’ Championship. The 22-race F1 2022 campaign continues with the Dutch Grand Prix at Zandvoort on September 4.
