São Paulo has been the site of so many incredible memories in the career of Lewis Hamilton. From a dramatic first world title win in 2008, to a mesmerising first victory at Interlagos in 2016 and a truly epic fightback over the Sprint weekend in 2021.
Brasil has been the stage for Lewis' iconic helmet designs. Here's some of our favourites.
Having brought his famous yellow look over from McLaren when he joined our team at the start of 2013, Lewis’ first nod to Brasil came at the Grand Prix that year, when he splashed some green over the top of his usual design for some true local flavour. The added depiction of Christ the Redeemer on the rear of the lid was another strong indication of Lewis’ love for Brazil.
If you are going to win your first F1 race in Brasil, why not do it in a special edition helmet? Lewis was unstoppable in 2016, mastering the atrocious conditions at Interlagos to claim his first victory in the country of his hero Ayrton Senna. With a bold yellow design and his iconic panther logo and number 44 in light green, Lewis certainly shone brightest off the track as well as on it that weekend.
This special edition came with a special addition; a fourth star to commemorate Lewis’ fourth world title captured the week before in Mexico. The new champion proudly displayed the stars in gold alongside his number and logo on top of a helmet that heavily featured the green trim of the Brasil flag.
A design that saw Lewis bring together so many colours which he has become synonymous for throughout his career. The yellow and green of Brasil mixed in with the purple of the previous two seasons, with more splashes of yellow and green on either side of the visor.
But it is what Lewis achieved that weekend in São Paulo that will stand out more than anything else. A performance quite unlike any other we have seen before or since, storming through from last on the grid at the start of the Sprint race on Saturday, to taking victory on Sunday afternoon. Win number 101 was secured in the most incredible way, making this almost certainly the most famous of all Lewis’ Brasil helmets.
Lewis returned to the fluorescent yellow for the start of 2022, paving the way for yet another striking look when we returned to São Paulo for the penultimate race of the season. If the previous special editions in Brasil had been all about a mix of the country’s colours, 2022 was all about the flag.
In a year when Lewis had been awarded honorary citizenship of the country of Brasil, it seemed only fitting that the seven-time champion would have his helmet decked in the yellow, green and blue of the country where he was so adored.
It again seemed to inspire him come race day, as he recovered brilliantly from P7 following a collision with Verstappen early on to take P2 behind George at the end.