Farewells, family and a first

The final grand prix of the season is so often the last for at least a handful of drivers on the grid.

This weekend’s race sees several drivers leave their current teams for new pastures, and others start what will likely be their final grands prix.

Those drivers are celebrating their time in the sport with their helmet designs this weekend, while Lewis Hamilton is commemorating the end of the longest and most successful tenure for any driver at a single team in F1’s history. Here’s a look at them all.

Lewis Hamilton’s Abu Dhabi Grand Prix helmet

After almost 250 grands prix at Mercedes, the longest tenure for a driver with a single team in the sport’s history, Hamilton’s remarkably successfully stint with the Silver Arrows comes to an end on Sunday. The association between the two runs even deeper than this: Every one of Hamilton’s 355 grand prix starts and record 105 wins has come at the wheel of a Mercedes-powered car.

Combining the two colours that became iconic for him at Mercedes, yellow and purple, Hamilton’s final Mercedes race helmet features several Mercedes stars on the top of the helmet. The large red one in the centre is a nod to the late three-times world champion Niki Lauda, who played a crucial role in persuading Hamilton to join the team 12 years ago.

On the back is a single word: “danke” – meaning “thank you” in German.

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George Russell’s Abu Dhabi Grand Prix helmet

This weekend is also the final one that Hamilton and Russell will compete as team mates together. Although the partnership has not produced any championships, they have shared five grand prix victories, six pole positions and 34 podium finishes.

Russell pays tribute to his team mate with a graphic of the pair of them on the rear with the text “see you on the track” as well as the famous image of young Russell getting an autograph from his future team mate as a child on the crown.

Carlos Sainz Jnr’s Abu Dhabi Grand Prix helmet

Hamilton will replace Sainz at Ferrari next season, meaning this weekend is his final round for the Scuderia. Sainz is marking the four years he’s spent at the team with a helmet with several images depicting the best highlights over…