F1 driver helmets: What designs have been unveiled ahead of the 2026 season?

Henry Valantine
F1 2026 driver helmet designs.

A closer look at which driver helmet designs have been released for the 2026 season.

For Formula 1 drivers, their helmet design each season is seen as something of a representation of themselves, with some drivers carrying similar colour schemes all the way through the categories.

With the 2026 season fast approaching, we’re taking you through the grid to see who has released their new helmet design, and whether there is any personal significance attached.

F1 2026 driver helmet designs

McLaren

Lando Norris

Reigning World Champion Norris ran with a camouflage helmet in the Barcelona shakedown, and is yet to officially release his 2026 design at time of writing.

Oscar Piastri

Oscar Piastri has revealed an extremely similar design to his 2025 lid, which also carries on from his early years in Formula 1. He incorporates red, yellow and blue, along with the Australian flag and his race number, 81.

Mercedes

Kimi Antonelli

Another similar design to his 2025 helmet, Kimi Antonelli’s helmet blends the red, white and green of the Italian flag, with sky blue and black also added to create a multi-layered look.

Photo: Mercedes-AMG PETRONAS F1 Team.

George Russell

Carrying on with his own theme since arriving at Mercedes in 2022, George Russell has gone with sky blue throughout, with black flourishes to incorporate Mercedes’ sponsors and his own number, 63.

Red Bull

Max Verstappen

A case of ‘same, but different’ for the four-time World Champion, whose now-famous red, white and blue colour scheme, representing the Dutch flag, incorporates a lion motif on top, block blue strap across and red cross from bottom to top.

Isack Hadjar

It’s a change of colour scheme for Isack Hadjar as he makes the move to Red Bull for 2026, swapping a mostly neon green design for yellow, purple and black as he prepares to partner Max Verstappen.

Ferrari

Lewis Hamilton

Lewis Hamilton went back to his Formula 1 roots by returning to a bold all-yellow colour scheme in 2025, incorporating the famous ‘Modena Yellow’ carried by the Scuderia.

That looks set to continue in 2026, with a slight design tweak in moving from black to red accents for the finer design – which includes seven stars, representing one World Championship each.

Charles Leclerc

Charles Leclerc’s calling card in Formula 1 has been to block red and white together, as with the flag of Monaco. His own personalised car collection includes the Monégasque touch, and he carries that into Formula 1 through his helmet design.

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Williams

Alex Albon

Alex Albon has kept with a similar design throughout his time at Williams, a matte-finished navy blue design finished with notes of pink, though last year incorporated a personal ‘AA’ logo.

Carlos Sainz

As with Carlos Sainz’s previous helmet designs, the red and yellow of Spain feature prominently throughout, with additional blue for Williams’ colour scheme.

As has become customary with Sainz, a chilli has been placed on top of his helmet along with the number 55, but the big question yet to be answered is if last season’s good luck charm, ‘Sparkles’ the unicorn, will feature in some form. We’re yet to see all the angles just yet…

Racing Bulls

Liam Lawson

Liam Lawson has kept a childhood colour scheme through his time in Formula 1 so far, though has Red Bull branding adorning the sides.

A predominantly white and pink helmet is complemented with the silver fern of New Zealand, which has stayed with him through his Formula 1 career so far.

Arvid Lindblad

Arvid Lindblad has gone for a multi-coloured design to match up with the Red Bull branding on his helmet, bringing neon green, shades of blue and red.

Another feature is the number 41, placed in italics to make it look like his initials, ‘AL’.

Aston Martin

Fernando Alonso

Fernando Alonso appeared to use a camouflage design in the Barcelona shakedown, but prominent throughout his F1 helmet designs have been red, yellow and light blue – combining the flag of Spain with the flag of Asturias, his home Principality in Spain.

Lance Stroll

Also seemingly carrying a camouflage design in Barcelona, Lance Stroll’s helmets at Aston Martin have tended to be on brand with British Racing Green throughout – though his 2026 design is TBC.

Haas

Oliver Bearman

Ollie Bearman ran a black-and-red spotted design in Barcelona, but has not yet confirmed if that will be his helmet design for the season ahead.

In 2025, he made good (and proper) use of the ‘Bear’ in his surname by a bear motif dominating the top of his design, with neon, black and purple complementing it. We’ll wait and see what is confirmed for 2026.

Esteban Ocon

Having embraced the red-and-black design of Haas upon his move last season, Esteban Ocon has gone full red this time around – keeping the smart Eiffel Tower design on top of his helmet from previous years. Looking almost reminiscent of a Michael Schumacher-esque Ferrari helmet design from the mid-2000s. If you know, you know.

Audi

Gabriel Bortoleto

Gabriel Bortoleto appears to be among the drivers to have gone furthest in showing his national pride through his racing helmet, with the green and yellow of the Brazilian flag prominent throughout his design.

The top of Bortoleto’s design features a pair of golden ‘wings’, along with a Brazilian flag, and room made for Audi’s sponsors through the use of white as part of the helmet’s wraparound.

Nico Hulkenberg

It’s all change for Nico Hulkenberg, who switches from a dark grey-and-black starred design to keeping the starry elements, but going the opposite way in colour scheme.

A light grey strip covers the middle of the helmet with touches of orange, with off-white either side and his surname wrapping around the design.

Helmet Nico Hülkenberg

Alpine

Franco Colapinto

One of the more complex helmet designs on the grid, Franco Colapinto blends a wraparound flag of his native Argentina with black, light red and white patterns on the side, along with a multicoloured triangulated pattern on top.

Pierre Gasly

Pierre Gasly has moved from a light-blue-and-white camouflage look to a block blue design for 2026, keeping touches such as the single red, white and blue strip to make a French flag on his helmet.

He has also carried personal tributes to the late Anthoine Hubert and Jules Bianchi on his helmets in years gone by, in the form of their initials.

Cadillac

Valtteri Bottas and Sergio Perez both appeared to run with plain helmets in Barcelona shakedown running, a sign that their 2026 designs are yet to be revealed.

Cadillac’s first F1 launch is not far away at time of writing, however, so a design reveal is likely to be in the offing.

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