Hamilton and Vettel asked to modify their helmets in Austin

F1 is made up of great stories – like the one Sebastian Vettel or Fernando Alonso are about to write by becoming one of the triple world champions in the premier discipline – but also of small anecdotes that can make observers smile, but not the authorities.

Indeed, Lewis Hamilton, for the American event, the first since 2007, sports a helmet in the colors of the United States, featuring the design of Uncle Sam’s country’s flag on the sides and also at its top. However, this helmet also displays a message on the red band located at the back: « H.A.M. » While it seems quite innocent at first glance, as it includes the first three letters of the 2008 world champion’s name, the meaning of this acronym would be quite different.

Tom Cary, a journalist for the Telegraph, links the appearance of these three letters to the recent FIA release concerning the language of the drivers and sees it as a provocation by Lewis Hamilton. H.A.M. would indeed only be a condensed form of Hard as a motherfucker. A personal initiative that apparently slightly annoyed McLaren, leading to the message being covered with a strip of red tape by Arai, the British driver’s helmet manufacturer. A decision made by mutual consent according to a McLaren team member interviewed on this topic.

In another matter, it was Sebastian Vettel who had to resort to tape because his special wooden livery for the Grand Prix in Austin bore the message « Gives you wings » at the top, echoing the famous slogan of the energy drink brand. However, Bernie Ecclestone formally prohibited drivers from having advertisements on the top of their helmets due to the presence of the onboard camera. Again, this issue was initially resolved with the use of a black adhesive strip, before a wood-colored tape was used.