Max Verstappen has revealed a special edition helmet for his home Dutch Grand Prix, paying tribute to his father Jos.
The reigning world champion returns home to Zandvoort with a healthy 91-point lead in the drivers’ standings and is already closing in on back-to-back titles.
The Netherlands hadn’t held a Formula 1 race since 1985 until it returned to the calendar last year, but has a huge band of supporters thanks to Verstappens success.
Only 16 drivers have hailed from the country, with the second-most successful after the current title holder being his father Jos, who took two podiums and 17 points in the 1990s and 2000s.
Verstappen Sr, a former teammate of Michael Schumacher at Benetton, has been a near constant presence since his son entered F1 in 2015, culminating in emotional scenes when his son took the title in Abu Dhabi last year.
And now the 24-year-old Red Bull star has paid tribute to his father with a design featuring his colours and logo.
He explained: “Here I have one of my dad’s old helmets next to me and of course the Dutch Grand Prix is coming up and I thought this year would be a great time to appreciate all the efforts my dad made for me since I was a little kid to bring me where I am today, winning the world championship.
“You can see the old helmet design coming through of my dad, on the back as well with his original logo on the back.
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“It’s a bit emotional as well but I think it’s just really special to be able to drive something like this because it’s also how I started in go-karting all the old pictures I have are with this iconic design so that’s why we thought it was a great idea to bring it back to life around Zandvoort.”
Verstappen isn’t the only world champion to sign off a headwear tribute though, with Lewis Hamilton sneakily posting a photo of a signed cap for Fernando Alonso.
The former teammates came together last time out at the Belgian Grand Prix, with Hamilton shutting the door on the Spaniard on lap one, which sent the Brit flying into the air.
Hamilton was forced to retire moments later, and two-time world champion Alonso was incensed on his team radio.
“What an idiot!” the Alpine driver yelled. “Closing the door from the outside!
“I mean, we had a mega-start but this guy only knows how to drive and start in first!”
Seven-time champion Hamilton later admitted fault for the collision but when asked about Alonso’s comments he said: “It doesn’t really matter what he says, I don’t really care.”
However, in a sly dig between the two who reportedly get on well off the track, Hamilton later posted a signed cap with the message ‘To Fernando’ written on it.
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Source: TalkSport.com Motorsport