Sebastian Vettel unveils unique ‘Final Lap’ helmet design with biddable picture slots for the Abu Dhabi GP
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Sebastian Vettel's 'Final Lap' helmet (Image: Jens Munser Designs)
It’s Sebastian Vettel’s final season in Formula 1 – and there are certainly going to be a few teary eyes (more than a few) in his last race. The season itself has been rather up and down, with Austria (where he collided twice, once with Alex Albon and once with Pierre Gasly) apparently being the final straw in his decision. However, since the summer break, his, and Aston Martin’s fortunes have been markedly different.
But that has certainly not changed his mind about retirement, even though he has admitted that he can’t rule out the possibility of returning to Formula 1. But that’s never a certainty, and for now, the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix, where he sealed his first title win 12 years ago, will be the final race of his career.
To commemorate this special race – Sebastian Vettel will wear a special helmet – by Jens Munser Designs, and it’s quite a bit different than what you would expect. Fans can bid to be on one of 1000 pictures on his helmet. As of the last check, the bid ranges from €55.00 (which seems to be the standard bid) for picture 305, to a whopping €10 million for picture 648. We can’t confirm the authenticity of the bids.
The helmet and the auction are called ‘Final lap.’ with the auction website saying: “We start the final lap together in Abu Dhabi.” ‘We’ being Vettel, and the pictures of the people on his helmet. All of the proceeds from the auction will go to environmental projects supported by Vettel. You can submit your own bid for the auction (which ends November 10, 21:00 CET) here: finallap.de.
The announcement has been generally well-received by Sebastian Vettel’s fans
As expected, the fans are overjoyed about the prospect of being on Vettel’s helmet. It’s definitely a unique opportunity, and if you want, you can bid for multiple pictures as well, which some people who are well-off enough might go for. Some people are even turning in what one can safely assume are ‘joke bids’, as evidenced below.
Picture 639 seems to be very closely contested. The highest bid that’s remained consistent for some time is €58,000 for picture 476. There will surely be more ‘joke’ or absurd bids coming in, but there are definitely going to be legitimacy checks. The initiative itself has been fairly well-received, though not with its own share of jokes.
Some are a bit in denial. But who knows, maybe Vettel will return to the grid one day.
Well, one certainly hopes that will not be the case, especially as it happened to Kimi Raikkonen last year.
If you are going to try your luck in the auction, we bid you good luck. It might even be considered a ‘once-in-a-lifetime’ opportunity, and there is definitely going to be quite a bit of competition for any and all bids.
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Aniket Tripathi
(1002 Articles Published)