At the beginning of the month, Mercedes announced that it would welcome fans at the launch of its car, the W08. Liberty Media, the new owner of F1, also stated that social media would be a major focus for future development.<\/p>\n
One of the best ambassadors for F1 on social media is obviously Lewis Hamilton, who reaches people far beyond his sport’s fan base, thanks to his relationships with many show business stars. Proof of this is his 3.7 million fans on his Instagram account.<\/p>\n
He therefore took advantage of this mass audience to launch a contest that is sure to appeal to this population. Indeed, he is offering them the opportunity to design his helmet for the next season, which is the main element of differentiation for a driver.<\/p>\n
The only constraints imposed by the driver are to respect the locations planned by the team’s sponsors, starting with Mercedes, Petronas, Epson, Monster Energy, and the latest addition, Wihuri. He also requested that the proposed design maintain the current dominant red color.<\/p>\n
The prize for this contest, aside from the satisfaction of seeing one’s design used by their favorite driver, is the delivery of a helmet signed by Lewis Hamilton himself during a Grand Prix during the season. All transportation and accommodation costs are also covered by the company, named Project Forty Four, after the number chosen by the three-time world champion. It should be noted, however, that transportation will not be on the driver’s private jet but simply in economy class.<\/p>\n
This initiative is reminiscent of the one implemented by Hugo Boss during the 2011 season when it invited fans from each country visited by the Formula One Circus to design McLaren’s special suits for Saturday.<\/p>\n