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Bottas’s helmet giveaway raises almost €50,000 for rhino charity

Conceptual AI-generated editorial motorsport illustration; not a documentary photograph or evidence that a pictured event, meeting or transfer occurred. · 2026-10-19GPBeat newsroom · News Made Clear generated illustration

Fans could buy signed cards for a chance to win the race-worn helmet; Bottas says the campaign raised almost €50,000 for Care for Wild.

From the GPBeat newsroomPublished · · 1 min

Valtteri Bottas says his race-worn Azerbaijan Grand Prix helmet giveaway brought in almost €50,000 for Care for Wild, a South African charity working to conserve rhinos. He has also announced who won the helmet.

Instead of a conventional auction, fans could buy signed cards featuring a nude photograph of Bottas. One buyer was chosen at random after the race to win the helmet.

Bottas’s partner, Australian cyclist Tiffany Cromwell, designed the one-off helmet. Its yellow-and-orange sunset motif showed rhinos and their shadows. Bottas wore it in Baku in September, during the week of World Rhino Day.

After announcing the winner on Instagram, Bottas said all the cards had been posted and funds to help the rhinos were on their way soon. Care for Wild works to protect rhinos from poaching and return rehabilitated animals to the wild.

Bottas has used similar imagery for charity before: he released a nude calendar to support Movember’s work on men’s health.

Sources 01
  1. SOURCEValtteri Bottas raises almost €50,000 for rhino charity with F1 helmet fundraiserMotorsport.com F1