“Smooth Criminal” Michael Jackson Received a Custom-Made Tribute From Lewis Hamilton During the 2013 US GP

For F1 drivers, custom-designed headgears serve a lot of purposes. The pilots can use them to promote their brand, express themself, and more importantly, give tribute to someone special. This is particularly the case with Lewis Hamilton, who occasionally pays respect to those he admires, and opts for a special helmet. The Englishman wore a unique helmet back in 2013 for the person who introduced the world to the true definition of pop.

While the F1 behemoth made its way to the US GP in 2013, a year after its return, the British racing driver considered paying tribute to his favorite artist. The 2008 title winner wore a Michael Jackson-themed helmet in place of his customary yellow racing colors.

As reported by dailymail.co.uk, the former McLaren driver tweeted, “For the Austin race, I wanted to dedicate this helmet to my favorite artist MJ. So, here it is. #smoothcriminal #MJ “

However, Hamilton, who won the United States Grand Prix race the last time around in 2012, failed to win that year as Sebastian Vettel took the top step of the podium.

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2013 wasn’t the only occasion the Briton chose to use his gear to pay tributes or promote social concerns. The guy who grew up admiring Ayrton Senna continued to use it to advocate social rights. Hamilton chose to wear a rainbow helmet only two years ago.

Lewis Hamilton conveys a social message through his helmet

When it comes to social issues, Lewis Hamilton has always been outspoken and has never shied away from voicing his beliefs. At the Qatar GP, Hamilton unveiled another special helmet design that had the flag representing the LGBTQ+ community. Hamilton made the decision to don the helmet in order to send a message. In addition to this, the seven-time champion chose to wear the helmet for the next two races, Saudi Arabia and Abu Dhabi.

Speaking with Autosport, Hamilton remarked, “I’m not afraid of any comments or anything negative. In the past I said ‘we are together’ and ‘love is love’, and it’s important for me to represent that community here, where there are many situations that aren’t perfect and we must improve.”

“I would like to know what’s happening here and what they are doing to help the LGBTQ+ collective. I want to hear it.”

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The sport has always been made more interesting by individuals like Lewis Hamilton through their actions. Since 2013, numerous other drivers have been seen paying tribute to their favorite athletes and drivers. Considering Hamilton may be the next driver to retire from the grid, who do you think will be the first driver to pay tribute to him?