F1: George Russell Changes Helmet Colour Out Of Respect For Michael Schumacher

George Russell has changed the colour of his helmet ahead of the unveiling of the Mercedes W13 which debuts on Friday. The change to the colour has been made out of respect for Michael Schumacher who last drove for Mercedes before retiring and being replaced by Lewis Hamilton. Russell has mostly had a red helmet since he made his debut in F1 in 2019 with the Williams F1 team. 

Schumacher who hasn't been seen in public since his tragic skiing accident in December 2013 has, is reported in a vegetative state. Till 2020, Michael Schumacher was statistically the most successful F1 driver of all time. Lewis Hamilton overtook is tally of 91 race wins and matched his 7 world titles. When Hamilton matched Schumacher's tally, the German's family gifted the Briton the iconic red helmet Schumacher wore for Mercedes. 

The new helmet is largely black with a shade of red

"Quite different in colours compared to what I've had previously. I've gone for quite a bold black this season. The reason for that is I wanted to bring forward a really bold colour. I've mainly had red on my helmets previously but a red helmet in a Mercedes I thought is very Michael Schumacher, and I wanted to respect that and go in a different direction," said Russell on social media. 

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by George Russell (@georgerussell63)

While Mercedes was the last team, the German drove for, he is best known for his stint with Ferrari where he won 5 titles in row, a feat that still hasn't been emulated. Before Ferrari, Schumacher won his first tow titles with the Benetton team. After retiring from F1 in 2007, he returned to the  sport in 2010 when Mercedes acquired the Brawn GP team which reunited him with his former technical director Ross Brawn. Schumacher helped laying down the foundations for what Mercedes became in the last decade. 

Russell who joins Mercedes after a three year stint with Williams now has a predominately black helmet with shades of red. 

"I've brought forward the black, I've got the red on the side with the [sponsor] Crowdstrike, and bringing forward this blue detailing which I really love. I think it looks really cool and really aggressive," he added. 

Russell has been coined as future world champion by the likes of Fernando Alonso and Mercedes F1 boss Toto Wolff also believes he is the future of the team after Hamilton retires. As he joins Mercedes in his first year, with the new ground effect F1 cars, many believe that he could make life difficult for the 7-time world champion who heartbreakingly lost on his 8th title in the last lap of the final race of the 2021 season.