Liam Lawson will show off the Christchurch-made design for the first time during the Singapore Grand Prix.
Liam Lawson will show off the Christchurch-made design for the first time during the Singapore Grand Prix.
Kiwi motorsport racing driver Liam Lawson says he’s pumped to carry a piece of Kiwi creativity with him as his newest helmet, designed by a Christchurch father-of-three, debuts at the upcoming Singapore Grand Prix.
The chosen design was brought to life after a nationwide competition that invited New Zealanders tosubmit original designs, giving fans the rare chance to see their design worn on the Formula One grid.
From nearly 500 entries, Lawson personally reviewed and chose the winning design by Christchurch’s Ian Ebbs.
Lawson’s helmet painter made the helmet in time for it to be worn throughout the race weekend in Singapore, giving Ebbs’ creativity the chance to shine on the world stage.
A lifelong F1 fan, Ebbs has shared his passion with his family – as part of his prize, he will travel to Singapore with his 8-year-old son, Michael, to personally meet Lawson and see the helmet for the first time.
“It’s bold, full of energy and colour, and really captures so much of what I love about New Zealand,” Lawson said.
“I’m pumped to wear it on track and carry a piece of Kiwi creativity with me.
“I was blown away by the effort and creativity from fans all around New Zealand.
“Choosing just one winner wasn’t easy, but the final design really stood out and felt perfect for Singapore.
“Wearing it on track will make the weekend even more special.”
Ebbs, 46, said he worked as a company director but didn’t have a background in design.
Commenting on his inspiration behind the design, he said the artwork reflected the New Zealand landscape, golf, Kiwiana, and Aotearoa itself, capturing Lawson’s pride and personality, as well as additional input from his children.
“I spent a bit of time just looking at the helmets that he’d had in the past and the kind of stuff he liked,” Ebbs said.
“I settled on pink, blue and white as the main colours, since Liam often uses them on his helmets.
“At first, I thought of Lightning McQueen, but I ended up focusing on his new love for golf.
“I started picturing a kiwi bird in a pink backwards cap driving a golf cart – I wanted a fun, cartoon-like style that evolved into something more layered, with elements like ferns, rolling hills, clouds, kiwifruit and the shape of New Zealand.“
The original helmet design by Ian Ebbs.
He said a stop at a dairy with his son had sparked the idea to enter the competition.
“My son is super into Formula One, and he saw a poster for a Red Bull competition, and was like, ‘How do we enter that?’
“But I just said, ‘We’ll give it a go’.”
The original helmet designed by Ian Ebbs.
The custom helmet will be officially unveiled in the lead-up to the Singapore Grand Prix race weekend.
