Formula 1 is no stranger to Russia’s invasion of the Ukraine , and after Haas withdrew its Russian sponsor and terminated its driver Mazepin’s contract, the top flight arrived in Bahrain for the second week of testing.
This Wednesday, before going out on the track, the pilots posed with T-shirts with the message ‘No to war’ and a Ukrainian flag on the main straight of the circuit, and on Thursday morning Sebastian Vettel surprised with his new helmet.
The Aston Martin driver maintains his main colours, white as the base with a flag crossing all over his helmet, but has changed the German from his native country to that of Ukraine. In addition, he has added many details.
The photos of Sebastian Vettel’s helmet against the war and in defense of Ukraine
Photo by: JMD Jens Munser Designs
Photo by: JMD Jens Munser Designs
Photo by: JMD Jens Munser Designs
Photo by: LAT Images
Foto de: Mark Sutton / Motorsport Images
Foto de: Mark Sutton / Motorsport Images
On the right side, where in his time as a Ferrari driver he wore a silhouette of the Prancing Horse , Vettel now sports a dove of peace with a blue border. On the other side appears the message ‘No war’ (‘No to war’) with the poppy, the symbol that F1 has chosen to defend peace.
The symbol of peace appears on the back of Vettel’s helmet, the symbol of the circle with the three lines that became more popular in the 1960s when it was widely used by the hippie culture. And finally, the most striking detail is that in the occipital plane, seen from above, it bears the lyrics of ‘Imagine’, the historic song by John Lennon . In its paragraphs, the word Imagine stands out in bold on several occasions and the phrase Nothing to kill or die for .
The four-time champion was always the most open when it came to talking about the invasion. Still in the Barcelona tests and before F1 made a decision, Vettel said that he refused to race in Russia this season.
Also later, in an interview, he was very forceful with his message for peace, and even admitted that he was surprised by Europe’s attitude in the conflict.
It is not yet clear if it will be a helmet that Vettel wears until the end of the war, throughout the season, or if it is just a sporadic appearance in these tests in Bahrain.
The letter of Imagine that Sebastian Vettel carries in the caco
It’s easy if you try
No hell below us
Above us, only sky
Livin’ for today
Ah
It isn’t hard to do
Nothing to kill or die for
And no religion, too
Livin’ life in peace
You
But I’m not the only one
I hope someday you’ll join us
And the world will be as one
I wonder if you can
No need for greed or hunger
A brotherhood of man
Sharing all the world
You
But I’m not the only one
I hope someday you’ll join us
And the world will live as one
