“Not a fan to be honest” – Fans give underwhelming reviews as Red Bull reveal new ‘Neon City ready’ helmet for Max Verstappen

Max Verstappen’s recently revealed helmet design for the Las Vegas Grand Prix weekend has not been well received by the fans as they have taken to Twitter to express their disappointment.

“Not a fan to be honest” – Fans give underwhelming reviews as Red Bull reveal new ‘Neon City ready’ helmet for Max Verstappen

As the inaugural Las Vegas Grand Prix weekend approaches, teams and drivers have started rolling out special ‘one-off’ livery and helmet designs to mark the American race’s beginning in the Formula 1 calendar. Max Verstappen recently followed suit and revealed his special helmet for the much-awaited Grand Prix. The Helmet design was revealed by the Oracle Red Bull Racing account on social media with a caption stating “A helmet that is neon city ready”.

The helmet design features a white under-layer with multiple neon strips and patterns over it. The ‘neon’ theme supposedly is a homage to the famous Las Vegas Casinos and streetlights that highlight the city. Verstappen’s helmet design, however, has not been ‘well received’ by his fans as several of them have taken to Twitter to convey their dismay.

Previously, Max Verstappen had revealed that he wishes to emulate the career of another racer. This racer had also taken a liking to the neon yellow that is seen in Verstappen’s helmet and was famous for popularising the trend of a ‘special one-off Helmet’ for a certain Grand Prix Weekend. The Racer is undoubtedly 9 9-time MotoGP World Champion – Valentino Rossi. Verstappen had recently spoken about his adoration for the Italian [as reported by Gazzetta Dello Sport]. 

It would be nice to do like Valentino Rossi…I like to see his races in GT, a category I have an interest in because we have our own cars entered.

Twitter reacts to Max Verstappen’s neon helmet design for the Las Vegas GP

The Helmet design revealed by Verstappen reflects a neon yellow color similar to the one employed by ‘The Doctor’ of MotoGP. However, the design has been heavily criticized by fans as they claim it to be very ‘gimmicky’. On track, The Dutchman has enjoyed a brilliant season as he recently claimed his 17th Grand Prix win for the 2023 season. It seems fitting that the fans have now taken to Verstappen’s off-track showings to scout for ‘disappointments’ regarding the 3 time World Champion.

Max Verstappen (via wallpaper.net)
Max Verstappen (via wallpaper.net)

On Twitter, several fans have expressed their dislike for the design. Some tweets claim that the ‘neon’ design contradicts the navy blue and orange Red Bull logo, others claim that the chosen neon itself doesn’t look appealing while some have labeled the design ‘ugly’ and ‘terrible’. Here are a few fan reactions.

Red Bull had previously also revealed their plans to introduce a special livery for both their cars for the Las Vegas Grand Prix weekend. Red Bull had given their fans the choice to vote for their favorite livery and claimed to use the top-voted livery on Max Verstappen and Sergio Perez’s cars across the lit streets of Vegas. This ‘voting’ idea leaves no space for criticism of the designers as the fans, themselves will be responsible for the ultimate choice. It seems that Red Bull should have employed a similar tactic for the Special helmet.