In his latest live stream, Lando Norris flaunted a special helmet, which he wore during the 2023 Austin Grand Prix. The race marked Norris’ 100th F1 race, and to commemorate the same, Norris wore a helmet that had icons representing the significant moments from his career. One such icon was the ‘bouncy hopper’ ball, which Daniel Ricciardo used to ‘injure’ his former teammate.
Speaking about the same in a video clip uploaded on X by user ‘Laura,’ the McLaren driver recalled the incident while also claiming to still be injured from the incident during the 2022 British Grand Prix.
“Everyone knows this one. Danny Ric. A bouncy hopper. Smashed me in my face. Still got damage.”, said Norris.
In a small session with Sky Sports at the British GP in 2022, the two McLaren drivers engaged in a friendly competition of racing each other while riding on a bouncy hopper. Ricciardo flew off the line while Norris struggled.
Hence, the homeboy thought it best to run with the ball in his hands. As soon as Ricciardo saw him closing in, the Australian launched his ball in Norris’ face, sending the ball flying and ‘blinding’ his teammate.
The Honey Badger instantly regretted his actions and ran towards Norris, who was lying on the ground with his face in his hands. Soon after, Norris claimed he couldn’t “see,” while Ricciardo admitted to feeling like doing something and then realizing “you probably shouldn’t have done it.”
Lando Norris’ helmet collection is as special as it gets
Detailing the logos and icons on his special helmet further, Norris showed how his signature neon yellow helmet had all the important moments from his career embedded in it, either in the form of a sticker or a graphic decal. Apart from the 100th race helmet, Norris has a plethora of more special helmets, which he often talks about.
One such helmet is Norris’ first-ever painted helmet from his first-ever full racing seasons in the Karting track. The helmet featured a combination of black, orange, blue, and chrome, which was the same as the color combo on his kart. Norris revealed the inspiration behind the helmet was MotoGP legend Valentino Rossi.
Another helmet was from his F2 days in 2018, featuring the iconic yellow for the first time. Norris explained the helmet was particularly for the Monaco GP. Next up is Norris’ first-ever helmet from Formula 1, once again featuring the neon yellow, which he wore in the Japanese Grand Prix.
The special thing about this helmet was that a Japanese artist hand-painted the entire helmet using brush paint. Featuring plenty more special helmets in his collection, the safest thing to say is Norris is immensely proud of his collection, and the same is visible in his eyes every time he talks about it.
