Formula One’s Valtteri Bottas debuted a new ocean conservation-themed helmet yesterday ahead of the Monaco Grand Prix. The driver for Stake F1 Team Kick Sauber wants to highlight ocean conservation in the Mediterranean and the work of the Blue Marine Foundation and the Prince Albert Foundation.
“This helmet isn’t just about making a statement on the track; it’s about driving change and raising awareness and funds to preserve our precious marine ecosystems,” Bottas comments.
Designed by Bottas’ partner, professional road and gravel cyclist Tiffany Cromwell, the helmet draws attention to the Mediterranean’s fragile ecosystem and the urgency of preserving and restoring the sea’s biodiversity. “We hear about the Great Barrier Reef, and Indochina, and all these other incredible reef systems around the world, but we need more education about the Mediterranean.”
In addition to under-water images of monk seals, dolphins and sharks, the base of the helmet is decorated with Posidonia seagrass, “representing how seagrass is the lungs of the ocean, and that without it, marine ecosystems would collapse.”
Bottas says, “I love to wear bespoke racing helmets whenever I can.” Autographed by the F1 driver and Prince Albert, the helmet will be auctioned at the annual Blue Marine Yacht Club Auction on September 25 during the Monaco Yacht Show. Proceeds will be equally distributed between the two Foundations to support their projects in the Mediterranean, in particular the seagrass restoration initiative.
“It is through strong institutional partnerships, such as the one between my Foundation and the Blue Marine Foundation that we can fight against climate change and manage our natural resources responsibly,” says Prince Albert, whose Foundation has given out more than €110 million to fund some 780 projects that focus on “limiting the effects of climate change, promoting renewable energies, protecting the ocean, preserving biodiversity, managing water resources and combating deforestation.”
Blue Marine is a UK ocean conservation charity set up in 2010 by some of the team behind the award-winning documentary film The End of the Line. Its mission is to see 30 per cent of the world’s ocean under effective protection by 2030 and the other 70 per cent responsibly managed.
For CEO Clare Brook, “The Mediterranean Sea was once full of incredible life, but has been severely depleted in the last hundred years. We are now at a pivotal moment where countries around the Mediterranean realise the importance of reviving these vital waters and are making concerted efforts to protect them.”
Spanning more than 2.5 million square kilometres and encompassing the coastal areas and territorial waters of at least 20 countries, the Mediterranean provides vital ecosystem services to nearly half a billion people, including food provision, climate regulation, and cultural sustenance.
Yet it faces the ‘triple-threat” of overfishing, climate change, and land-based impacts and is on the verge of ecological collapse. According to Blue Marine, “The Mediterranean hosts 17,000 marine species, 20-30% of which are endemic — the highest rate of endemism in the world. Over three-quarters of its fish stocks are fished beyond sustainable limits, and climate change is heating the Mediterranean 20% faster than other marine ecosystems.”
Article first published May 24, 2024. All photos: Andy Hone from LAT Images.