You Could Buy A Decent Car For The Price Of These F1 Helmets

Everything about Formula 1 is insanely expensive. It can cost millions of dollars to have your sponsorship logo adorn the minuscule wing mirror of an F1 car, while an F1 steering wheel can easily cost $100,000, so it stands to reason that the helmets aren't a dime a dozen either. This got us wondering: Could you get a decent car for the cost of an F1 helmet? It's not a straightforward question, as not all F1 helmets are created equal. For example, a new helmet is probably more expensive than an old, outdated one, but that can change depending on who wore the old helmet, and when. So we're going to look at a few scenarios.

We'll start with a brand-new F1 helmet. These are built from carbon fiber and Kevlar, are extremely aerodynamic, and incorporate both radio technology and the life-saving HANS devices that keeps drivers safe if there's an accident. As a result, it's not uncommon for them to cost $8,000 or more. Now, while you can't buy a brand-new car for $8,000, it's certainly possible to get your hands on something decent used. For example, Kelley Blue Book pegs a 2010 Toyota Corolla at between $5,855 and $8,551 depending on the specs. Or you could get something a little sportier, like a 2010 Camaro LT Coupe, for $7,928.

If instead of a new helmet you own something race-worn, you might be able to exchange it for a much more interesting car. For example, Lewis Hamilton's helmet from the 2022 Japanese Grand Prix sold for a staggering $387,500 in 2023 — enough to net you a brand-new top-spec Bentley Bentayga, or a smattering of classic Porsche 911s.

That wasn't a one-off result, either. Charles Leclerc's '23 Monaco Grand Prix helmet managed to bring an impressive $362,000 at auction, while Max Verstappen's '22 Austrian lid fetched $157,000. Similarly impressive results are achieved with classic helmets, too. An Ayrton Senna-worn helmet from the 1992 Belgian Grand Prix, where he rescued an unconscious fellow driver after a crash, brought $966,449 — more than enough to buy a pretty serious car. Or two. Or three.

That might sound a bit ludicrous for an old helmet, regardless of who once wore it and where. It's not as if putting it on will make you any quicker in a race car, and wearing it yourself might even take some of the value away, who knows. However, let's get some perspective here. Sports fans are willing to pay seven- or sometimes or eight-figure sums for baseball cards with pictures of great players on them; cards the players themselves might not have even seen before. So a six-figure helmet from a particularly interesting or controversial F1 race sounds like a bargain, although we'd probably still take the Bentayga (sorry, Lewis).