There are plenty of ways to read the first proper signs of a new Formula 1 season. Lap times are mostly noise in February, and even the launch liveries can be more theatre than truth. Driver helmets, though? They’re usually telling you exactly what the driver thinks matters — identity, stability, a fresh start, or the deliberate comfort of not changing a thing.
With 2026 edging into view, a handful of designs have already emerged, and the grid is splitting into two familiar camps: those doubling down on recognisable branding, and those using the reset button — new team, new colours, new statement.
McLaren’s world champion Lando Norris hasn’t shown his final design yet, having run a camouflage lid during the Barcelona shakedown. That’s not unusual at this point of the calendar, but it does underline how carefully managed his “new era” presentation is going to be. Team-mate Oscar Piastri, by contrast, has done what he often does: keep the look essentially the same, because it already works. The red, yellow and blue remain, along with the Australian flag and his 81 — continuity as a calling card rather than a lack of imagination.
My photography pic.twitter.com/WLivR5mlSJ
— Oscar Piastri (@OscarPiastri)February 7, 2026
Mercedes is also leaning into recognisability. Kimi Antonelli’s 2026 helmet is a close relative of his 2025 design, still built around Italy’s tricolore but layered with sky blue and black to give it depth. George Russell, meanwhile, remains committed to the sky-blue theme he’s made his own since arriving at the team in 2022, with black detailing to accommodate sponsor placement and his number 63. It’s clean, unmistakably “Russell”, and — importantly — easily read at 200mph.
Over at Red Bull, Max Verstappen’s is a classic case of evolution rather than revolution. The Dutch tricolour stays front and centre, but there’s fresh emphasis in the graphics: a lion motif on top, a block blue strap across, and a red cross running bottom to top. It’s still unmistakably Verstappen — just sharpened again, as if to remind everyone the brand remains his.
The more interesting Red Bull story, at least visually, is Isack Hadjar. Moving into the senior team for 2026, he’s ditched the neon-green-heavy look and gone for a bolder yellow, purple and black mix. It reads like a deliberate break from the “junior” phase — the sort of design change drivers make when they want the paddock to clock that the context has changed.
Ferrari’s two helmets are essentially a study in how different “tradition” can look. Lewis Hamilton’s return to a bright yellow base — with Ferrari’s Modena Yellow woven into the concept — is set to continue, but with a tweak: red accents replacing black for the finer details. The seven stars remain, each one a championship, and the whole thing feels unapologetically high-visibility. Charles Leclerc, as ever, keeps it Monaco-simple: red and white blocked together, the kind of design that doesn’t need explanation because it’s been his signature for years.
COLD captures of Charles’ 26 season helmetpic.twitter.com/hYvOWhRZwP
— Scuderia Ferrari HP (@ScuderiaFerrari)February 6, 2026
Williams is sticking to established personal brands too. Alex Albon remains in that matte navy-with-pink territory that’s become synonymous with his time at Grove, while Carlos Sainz keeps Spain’s red and yellow prominent, with added blue to mesh with Williams’ palette. The chilli on top is back alongside the 55 — the familiar Sainz wink — and the only unresolved detail is whether last year’s “Sparkles the unicorn” good-luck charm makes an appearance somewhere once the full helmet is shown from every angle.
Racing Bulls’ pair also tell you plenty in a glance. Liam Lawson is still in the white-and-pink scheme he’s carried since childhood, with the silver fern sitting proudly as the defining national marker, while Arvid Lindblad has gone for a multi-coloured, Red Bull-aligned mix — neon green, blues and red — with a neat touch in the italicised “41” styled to resemble his initials, AL.
Aston Martin, like McLaren, is playing it coy for now. Fernando Alonso and Lance Stroll both appeared in camouflage lids during the Barcelona running. For Alonso, the expectation is still that his usual Spanish and Asturias references — red, yellow and light blue — will feature when the final version lands. Stroll’s 2026 design remains to be confirmed, though his Aston Martin era has generally leaned into British Racing Green cues.
Haas has one confirmed look and one question mark. Oliver Bearman ran a black-and-red spotted design in Barcelona, but hasn’t locked it in publicly as his season helmet. Esteban Ocon has, and he’s gone louder: essentially full red, keeping the Eiffel Tower motif on top that’s followed him for years. It’s hard not to see the visual nod — whether intentional or not — to those mid-2000s Ferrari lids. If you know, you know.
2026. Locked in. Let’s make it the best one yet! 🔴pic.twitter.com/TMr0wHOoIG
— Esteban Ocon (@OconEsteban)February 6, 2026
Audi’s first full season presence comes with two helmets pushing in different directions. Gabriel Bortoleto’s is drenched in Brazilian identity — green and yellow throughout, golden “wings” on top, and white sections clearly carved out to keep sponsor areas clean without losing the national theme. Nico Hülkenberg has flipped his usual palette: starry elements remain, but the darker look has been swapped for a lighter grey centre strip with orange touches, off-white sides, and his surname wrapped around the design.
Alpine’s designs feel busier — in a good way. Franco Colapinto’s is one of the more complex concepts on the grid, with a wraparound Argentine flag effect and a multicoloured triangulated pattern on top, while Pierre Gasly has moved away from a light-blue-and-white camouflage vibe to a more solid block blue. The small French tricolour strip remains, and so do the personal touches he’s carried in recent years.
Finally, the new Cadillac line-up is still in the “nothing to see here” phase on helmets. Valtteri Bottas and Sergio Perez both appeared to run plain lids during the Barcelona shakedown — usually the surest sign the proper designs are being saved for a coordinated reveal. With Cadillac’s first F1 launch not far away, you wouldn’t expect them to miss the moment.
It’s February, so none of this wins points. But helmets do set tone. Some of the grid is telling you they’re exactly who they’ve always been. Others are signalling, loudly, that 2026 is a line in the sand.
