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Moto GP Legend Valentino Rossi’s “Donkey Helmet” Inspired Alex Albon’s Famous Panda Version

Somin Bhattacharjee
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Moto GP Legend Valentino Rossi’s “Donkey Helmet” Inspired Alex Albon’s Famous Panda Version

Ahead of the 2024 Chinese GP, Alex Albon revealed a ‘panda design’ helmet that quickly became the talk of the paddock. Now, the man behind the design reveals how he and Albon drew inspiration from seven-time Moto GP World Champion Valentino Rossi.

Rossi sported a helmet in 2009 that had the print of a donkey on it. It went on to become one of the most iconic helmet designs of all time, and Albon decided to do something similar ahead of F1’s return to Shanghai last month.

On the Fast and the Curious podcast, the man who helped Albon design this helmet – Miles Murphy said that having a panda on the print was always the Williams’ driver’s idea. However, they took the idea of how to incorporate it from Rossi’s donkey helmet.

Initially, they discussed the idea of having a real panda or cartoon panda print but went for an “anime-style one” instead.

“We thought we’d just make the whole helmet look like a panda. Because it actually [drew] inspirations from Valentino Rossi. Do you remember the donkey helmet?”

Miles went on to say that from the front on, Rossi’s helmet was just a donkey in the face. Albon took a similar approach with the panda, and it was one of the most unique designs in F1, lately.

The story behind Valentino Rossi’s iconic donkey helmet

Valentino Rossi, one of the biggest legends in the world of motorsports, also had a great sense of humor. He made a mistake during a race in Indianapolis, following which he decided to label himself as a “donkey”.

Rossi thought it was funny because in his home country (Italy), whenever a driver would make a mistake, they would be called a donkey. The then-Yamaha rider thus, decided to print a donkey on his helmet. As quoted by Bike Sport News, he said,

“I have the donkey on it because in Italy, if you make a stupid mistake we say that you are a donkey. I made a mistake in Indy so this is why! I think it’s very funny!”

Albon didn’t choose the panda because he associated himself with the animal, or because pandas would make mistakes on the F1 track. Pandas are indigenous to China, and Albon wanted to highlight that fact. The Giant Panda, in fact, is listed as vulnerable in the IUCN conversation status. The Thai-British driver wanted the world’s attention to be on that fact.

Post Edited By:Aishwary Gaonkar

About the author

Somin Bhattacharjee

Somin Bhattacharjee

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Formula 1 Editor Somin Bhattacharjee fell for the sport as well as Fernando Alonso on the same day — during the Spaniard’s thrilling victory at the German GP in 2010. Over the years, the passion magnified manyfold, and metamorphosed into a writing career in 2021. Though holding a bachelor's degree in marketing, Somin discovered his true calling in writing. He has penned over 2,700 articles for TheSportsRush, presenting a diverse range — news reports, opinions, and exclusives. A true Tiffosi, Somin never gives up on a chance to defend the Ferrari boys as a fan. As a sports writer though, he remains objective to the core and relishes opportunities to follow and engage in dissecting the action during races. That’s where the real thrill lies for him. Beyond the racetrack, Somin plays different sports including soccer. He enjoys exploring other sporting events and proudly supports Spanish soccer club Real Madrid.

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