Max Verstappen has unveiled a special Dutch orange tribute helmet to celebrate his fans across European rounds of the 2024 Formula 1 season.
The Dutchman will debut the helmet in the Spanish Grand Prix at the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya on June 21-23 and it will feature once again at the Red Bull Ring in Austria, Spa-Francorchamps, Belgium, Monza, Italy and of course, Zandvoort, Netherlands.
Verstappen has grown a huge following on his rise to F1 superstardom with a sea of orange fans travelling Europe to cheer him on and the predominantly orange helmet is a nod to his loyal supporters.
“This helmet definitely means a lot to me,” Verstappen revealed on his official website. “Of course, because of its colour, it looks really nice.
“But it’s also a tribute to all the support from the fans that I get. There are a few special races in Europe with a lot of orange fans and that’s where I’ll definitely be wearing this helmet.
“[The Helmet] came out really cool. As you can see the details in the helmet: you see the fans in the background. Keeping it very orange and very bright so that you can see it.
“I hope you will like it as well,” Verstappen added in a direct address to his supporters. “And who knows, maybe you’ll be at the track and you might be on it next year as well!”
In F1’s era of special tribute helmets, where drivers seemingly change designs every race, Verstappen is keeping things broadly consistent this term.
The three-time champion’s orange design succeeds the blue helmet worn in Miami, which Verstappen will use at the two other American-based F1 rounds at the Circuit of the Americas in Austin, Texas and in Las Vegas.