Hamilton’s race suit auctioned for charity

Jamie Woodhouse
Lewis Hamilton's and Valtteri Bottas' 2019 race suits auctioned for charity.

Lewis Hamilton's and Valtteri Bottas' 2019 race suits auctioned for charity.

Mercedes have donated race suits worn by Lewis Hamilton and Valtteri Bottas in 2019 to be auctioned to raise funds for NHS charities.

The world is continuing its battle against the coronavirus pandemic, and already Mercedes have joined the effort by transforming their Brixworth factory into a facility to develop their new breathing aid which can be used as a less intrusive alternative to ventilators for those suffering severe symptoms.

And their efforts have continued when the team donated race overalls worn by Hamilton and Bottas during the 2019 season to be auctioned, courtesy of the Bonhams Auctioneers online charity auction.

All proceeds will go to NHS charities fighting coronavirus on the frontline.

The bid on Hamilton’s suit currently stands at £6,500, and £1,000 on Bottas’. Bidding ends on April 29 and you can access it here.

Hamilton wore these overalls during Free Practice 2 at the Monaco Grand Prix, as well as the races in Austria and his native Great Britain.

Bottas wore his race suit up for auction during Free Practice at the Azerbaijan, Monaco, French and British Grands Prix during the 2019 season.

More than 14,500 deaths have now been recorded in the UK due to the virus, including 27 verified deaths among NHS staff.

Working alongside the other six UK-based F1 teams as part of what has been called ‘Project Pitlane‘, Mercedes have supplied 10,000 breathing aid devices to the NHS, in association with the University College London Hospital.

Their Continuous Positive Airway Pressure (CPAP) device remains available for other firms to copy, while alongside their sponsor INEOSS the German manufacturer will produce at least 5,000 PPE face shields for local hospitals around the team’s base.

McLaren are also helping to develop protective equipment for NHS staff, while their former boss Ron Dennis has started an initiative to supply one million free meals to NHS workers.

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