© Getty ImagesThe Story Behind Checo’s 2024 Mexico GP HelmetIn Formula 1, there's always a story—whether it's a fan-designed livery, a new sponsor, or the most common, a fresh helmet design. Each one has an interesting tale waiting to be discovered.
Thisserieswilltakeadeeperlookintotheinfluencesandinspirationsforthecreationofsomethingnewthatfanswanttosee,andthistime,we’relookingatCheco’snewhelmetdesignforthe2024MexicoGrandPrix.
Sergio Perez’s 2024 Mexico GP Helmet© Oracle Red Bull Racing
“[Iwas]tryingtoachievesomethingthatpeoplecanidentifywithandtosay,‘thatisMexico’,notonlygreen,white,andred.”
Towards the end of October, Oracle Red Bull Racing fans and motorsport fans the world over welcome the 2024 Formula 1 Mexico City Grand Prix, otherwise known as the home race for the Minister of Defence, Sergio Perez. As is with most drivers heading into their home race, Checo has released images of his new helmet design for the race weekend, but there’s more to the helmet than meets the eye. With several intricate designs within it and certain nods to Mexican culture, we had a sit-down chat with the designer of this helmet, Marco Aguirre, to find out what the influences and meanings are behind the design.
Sergio Perez’s 2024 Mexico GP Helmet© Getty Images
Checo has had several different designs on his helmets throughout his Formula 1 career, but the Mexico GP is always an important one for him. Some of you may remember the helmet car driving through the pit lane in 2023—a helmet reveal never done before—but the helmet design for 2024 celebrates pieces of Mexican culture that are important to Checo and the designer, and are delivered in a more muted, personal way.
The most obvious part of the helmet that fans will recognise is the inclusion of a wrestling mask, and fans of Checo will be fully aware of his love of wrestling—something that resonated with Marco, the designer.
“I remember Checo uploaded a photo in the arena (Arena Coliseo, Guadalajara) here with a wrestling mask. I said, ‘Checo likes fights [and it] is a characteristic of Mexico that at any moment a mask comes out anywhere in the world, it says Mexico’.”
Attending wrestling matches with his son when he can, Checo also likes to wear a wrestling mask from time to time, and it’s something Marco had wanted to focus on with this design. Despite going through different iterations to get to this final design, Marco had always kept the mask integrated within it, but there was something more to its inclusion than just Checo’s love for the sport.
“It’s so interesting that your aunt is the one who produces the masks, right?”
“Yes, she does. She sells at tourist sites in Mexico. And she makes them for the most famous wrestlers when they request one.”
Designing Checo's Helmet for Mexico© Getty Images
After speaking to Marco in-depth about his love for designing race helmets, we quickly discovered that this has been an ambition of his for more than five years. And it’s clear to us that this ambition and desire to finally get his design on Checo’s helmet meant the addition of a personal nod for both Checo and Marco.
The eagle-eyed of you out there will have noticed the leaves of the agave plant towards the bottom of the design. For most people, the agave plant is the main ingredient in Tequila—something that is synonymous with Mexican culture—but it means something slightly more to Marco.
The agave plant is widely found across Jalisco, the state that holds Guadalajara, home of Sergio Perez. With 399 million agave plants in Jalisco, Marco noted that the Governor of Jalisco had made great strides in protecting the state from deforestation, maintaining the importance of the plant to the economy of the country as well as the local pride of people from the state of Jalisco. This sort of focus on something so personal to him meant that he wanted to stay away from the ease of just using the colours of the Mexico flag.
“Why didn't you want to make it green, white, and red?”
“Because that was the challenge. Green, white, and red are very easy. You wrap yourself in the flag, and yes, all Mexicans are very patriotic, but the hardest part of the challenge was to say Mexico without using the colours of the flag.”
It's clear to see how Marco ended up with the design he created for Checo, and after explaining his influences and inspiration behind it, it’s hard not to be enamoured by him and his creation. Everyone at Oracle Red Bull Racing is excited to see this helmet on track in Mexico towards the end of October, and we’re sure it’s a design that will be spoken about for years to come.
“ItwasadreamtodesignaFormulaOnehelmet.Iamsuperhappy,delighted,andbelieveme,thisisadreamcometrueforme.”
Follow the 2024 Formula 1 Mexico City Grand Prix here on redbullracing.com, with all the latest news, race updates, and imagery from the whole weekend from October 25th onwards.
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Checo Mexico Helmet Giveaway© Oracle Red Bull Racing