Lando Norris reveals dementia charity helmet

Lando Norris will race in the Canadian Grand Prix with a one-off helmet created to support Sir Jackie Stewart’s Race Against Dementia charity, using a split design to show the contrast between a healthy brain and one affected by synaptic loss.

Norris unveiled the design on Thursday in Montreal and said the concept was developed with Race Against Dementia Fellow Dr Maura Malpetti. “The design is in two halves,” Norris said. “One side shows a healthy brain and the other side shows a brain affected by synaptic loss.” He described synapses as the neural connections fundamental to how the brain works, and said dementia damages different parts of the brain, affecting memory, thinking, communication and decision-making as symptoms worsen over time.

The McLaren driver said Stewart’s family story was central to the project. Stewart founded Race Against Dementia in 2016 after his wife Helen was diagnosed with frontotemporal dementia, and Norris said hearing him speak openly about its effect on Helen, their family and others around them had “highlighted how many people this affects.” In an Instagram post, Norris added that 55 million people worldwide are living with dementia and said he wanted to “play my part in raising awareness and joining Race Against Dementia’s fight to find a cure.”

The helmet is also being turned into a fundraising effort. Norris said mini versions are being sold through his merchandise shop, with all profits going directly to Race Against Dementia.

Race Against Dementia has committed more than £20 million to dementia research since its launch. Stewart said the project gave unusual weight to one of racing’s most personal pieces of equipment. “Racing helmets have played a large part in my life,” Stewart said. “However, none of my helmets were designed with such a serious message attached to them.” He said Norris and Malpetti had “found a way to express some very complicated ideas with real imagination and personality,” and added: “I’m grateful to Lando for embracing Race Against Dementia with such enthusiasm.”