Lewis Hamilton’s Pride helmet sends LGBTQ love at Spanish GP

Lewis Hamilton will tackle Sunday’s Spanish Grand Prix from third place on the grid and with a fresh rainbow helmet design.

The Mercedes driver has been ensuring visibility on the F1 racetracks by choosing colorful helmets since November 2021, when he won in Qatar with a Progress Pride flag and the message “We Stand Together.”

This weekend at the Circuit de Catalunya near Barcelona, ​​the top of his helmet is decorated in the traditional six stripes of the Pride flag and covered with the slogan “Love is Love”.

Out of the sidelines and into the game

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It is at least the eighth time the British veteran has taken to the track in a striking rainbow look. After making his debut at the Qatar GP three years ago, Hamilton kept the same helmet for the subsequent races in Saudi Arabia and Abu Dhabi.

At the start of last season, Hamilton launched another rainbow design for the Bahrain GP as a result of an FIA directive on making political statements.

Some tried to claim that the helmet was a violation of the regulations, but it was soon reported that the FIA ​​​​had no problem with it.

Hamilton subsequently wore the rainbow helmet design at Grand Prix races in Miami, Hungary and Qatar – all places where LGBTQ rights were restricted or non-existent.

Ahead of the race weekend at the Lusail International Circuit, he said: “I think it’s always good and nice to raise awareness of things, but it’s more about the work that’s going on behind the scenes, the conversations that need to continue to be had.”

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At the time of writing, there has been no comment from Hamilton or Mercedes on the new ‘Love is Love’ helmet. The annual Pride parade in Barcelona is not until July 20 this year, although Madrid Pride in the Spanish capital is taking place next weekend.

Mercedes-Benz Grand Prix Ltd, the company that operates the Mercedes-AMG F1 factory team that competes in the F1 World Championship, is an industry partner of Racing Pride, the LGBTQ inclusion initiative in motorsport launched in 2019.

Racing Pride’s work was featured in a segment of the latest episode of Sky Sports’ F1 Show, which aired at the start of the race weekend.