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Piastri’s Peranakan Beadwork Helmet for Singapore 2026
123Helmets Editorial Team
Oscar Piastri’s Peranakan beadwork helmet for the 2026 Singapore Grand Prix was revealed on 8 October 2026, with McLaren calling it “something special for Singapore”. The McLaren driver is in his fourth F1 season and the design is tied to Singapore’s Peranakan tradition.
Key Takeaways
Revealed on 8 October 2026, ahead of the Singapore GP weekend, 9-11 October 2026.
Beadwork made by hand in Singapore, per the official reel caption.
Turquoise base with a large phoenix, peonies and gold “Oscar” script.
What is Oscar Piastri’s Singapore helmet?
It is a custom Bell helmet for the 2026 Singapore Grand Prix featuring beadwork made by hand in Singapore. McLaren shared it on 8 October 2026 with the caption “Something special for Singapore”, showing Piastri holding it in front of the Singapore Flyer at dusk, with Lando Norris walking in the background.
A reel from @android and @oscarpiastri, marked #Ad, introduced it as a design connecting racing culture with centuries of Peranakan tradition. It was filmed at the Peranakan Museum Singapore, where a woman hands Piastri the helmet.
What does the design look like?
The helmet has a turquoise base covered in a fine bead texture. A large phoenix in red, orange and yellow sits on the side, surrounded by pink peony-style flowers, small blue flowers and green leaves, with copper-orange outlines framing the panels.
“Oscar” appears in gold script near the chin, his “OP” logo is at the rear, and Android lettering with the robot logo sits on the chin. A small Android robot also appears inside a pink flower on top. The visor is dark with a copper, rose-gold mirrored reflection, and partner logos include Monster Energy, OKX, McLaren, DP World, Mastercard, Dropbox, Quad Lock and Etihad.
Piastri and his McLaren team-mate Lando Norris posed together with their Singapore helmets; read more about Lando Norris’s Singapore helmet.
How was the helmet made?
A second reel from Android, “Behind the Beads — Part II“, shows how the helmet was made. “These are all glass beads,” the video explains: around 350,000 of them, sewn by hand by Angeline Kong and Carolyn Law, introduced as Peranakan artists, over about two months, at roughly twelve hours a day. In the video, the phoenix stands for virtue and prosperity, and the turquoise for joy and happiness. Piastri says he has done a few special helmets in Singapore before, “but this one is definitely my favorite”.
What happens next?
The Singapore Grand Prix is round 17 of 23 and the race weekend runs 9-11 October 2026 at Marina Bay. The reel’s titles read “Android Presents — THE REVEAL — PART I”; a second reel, “Behind the Beads — Part II”, followed the same day.
Fans of the Australian can browse the Oscar Piastri collection or the McLaren collection for display pieces.
Shop Oscar Piastri Collection
Display and collector replicas only. Not certified for protective use. Full-size 1:1 scale.
This article was written with the help of AI tools. Editorial policy
