Charles Leclerc dropped his first merchandise collection via a photoshoot, as F1 Authentics is auctioning title-winning Goodyear tyre from 1997 season.
My first merchandise collection is finally here. I hope you love it as much as I’ve loved creating it.
Here: https://www.instagram.com/p/DRC1_SjCBTQ/
https://www.instagram.com/p/DRC3TzDiO14/?img_index=1
Auction –
A prominent piece of motorsport memorabilia is going to auction this month, featuring the signatures of many of the most recognisable F1 names of the late 1990s. A Goodyear tyre, originally used on Williams F1 Teams’ championship winning FW19, was signed by 20 drivers over the course of the 1997 and 1998 Formula One seasons. This one-of-a-kind item, covered with the hallmarks of racing legends, is now set to be sold at auction by F1 Authentics, operated by Memento Exclusives under licence of Formula 1.
The 20 drivers who have applied their signatures to this tyre include x5 Drivers’ World Champions in Jacques Villeneuve, Michael Schumacher, Mika Hakkinen, Alain Prost, and Damon Hill. It has also been signed by other racing legends from the time such as David Coulthard, Heinz-Harald Fretzen, Jean Alesi, Rubens Barrichello, Giancarlo Fisichella, Ralf Schumacher and more.
The mark of champions
The distinctive Yellow Oz racing rim included authenticates this tyre as belonging from the FW19 that won the Drivers’ & Constructors’ titles in 1997. Being the last Championship win for the team to date makes the applied signatures of Champion Jacques Villeneuve and teammate Heinz-Harald Frentzen, all the more special. As of 2025, this remains the last championship won by a non-European driver and the last won on Goodyear tyres to date.
The champions of 1998, McLaren, are also featured with the signatures of that year’s Drivers’ Champion, Mika Häkkinen, and his Constructors’ Champion teammate David Coulthard. The signature applied by Häkkinen is particularly noteworthy, as he has added his nickname, ‘The Flying Finn’. It would be 26 years after these signatures were applied before the team next achieved champions status.
World Class representation
Damon Hill entered the season as reigning Champion, having won the 1996 title with Williams before moving to Arrows, and then Jordan in 1998 – where he secured the team’s first-ever win in F1 at the Belgian Grand Prix. Considered the greatest of all-time, the addition of 7-time World Champion Michael Schumacher is a significant inclusion. He won 11 races over the course of the two seasons and initially finished runner-up in both but was infamously disqualified from 1997 after a collision with Villeneuve in the final race. Alain Prost represents the only Team Manager from these two seasons to have signed the tyre. A four-time World Champion in his own right, ‘The Professor’ is another highly sought-after addition, at the time of his retirement holding the records for most wins, fastest laps and podium finishes in F1 history.
Designed for collectors
Motorsport enthusiasts will undoubtedly appreciate that this complete tyre and rim is an impressive upgrade on typically collected rubber-only tyres. It is a weighted display-ready item, better representing how this would have appeared on the car in the 1990s. Featuring signatures from much of the entire Formula 1 grid across two consecutive seasons ensures this showpiece symbolises not just a single driver or team, but a whole era of the sport, from established legends to rising stars.
Each signature has been applied with meticulous care and preserved by the collectors who have owned it. This historic item is presented as part of F1 Authentics’ End of Season Auction, live from 18th November 2025. Bidders can head to f1authentics.com now to preview a range of auction lots and register their interest.
Full list of signatures present on this tyre:
Jacques Villeneuve (World Champion)
Michael Schumacher (World Champion)
Mika Hakkinen (World Champion)
Alain Prost (World Champion)
Damon Hill (World Champion)
David Coulthard
Heinz-Harald Fretzen
Jean Alesi
Rubens Barrichello
Giancarlo Fisichella
Ralf Schumacher
Mika Salo
Johnny Herbert
Alexander Wurz
Jarno Trulli
Jan Magnussen
Olivier Panis
Tarso Marques
Pedro Diniz
Ricardo Rosset
Esteban Ocon helmet –
F1 driver, Esteban Ocon, is auctioning the unique fan-designed helmet that he wore at the 2025 São Paulo Grand Prix. This uniquely designed 1-of-1 helmet will be available for the public to bid on via F1 Authentics’ online auction, with all proceeds raised going to Laureus Sport for Good, a global charity using the power of sport to change the lives of children and young people. Earlier this year, the MoneyGram Haas F1 Team driver launched a competition for creative fans to submit a special design, one of which he would choose to be turned into a real helmet for the race weekend in Brazil. São Paulo remains a special location for Ocon after he secured an unexpected second-place finish at the race last season.
Speaking on Instagram when revealing the design competition, he said, “As you know, Brazil means a lot to me … I got a lot of support, a lot of fans, and obviously fantastic memories from 2024, but … every year I go there is extra special. And so, I got a little surprise for you guys, something special that I wanted to do for a long time. I decided that YOU can design my helmet for the 2025 Brazilian Grand Prix.” After a huge response, Ocon selected a design by a fan named Fernanda, saying, “Thank you Fernanda for your beautiful design. I love it and I can’t wait to wear it on track.”
The winning design, which could be seen as Ocon raced around the Autódromo José Carlos Pace in November, is an evolution of the red-and-black style the driver adopted for the 2025 season, infusing the colours of the Brazilian flag towards the rear, along with the inscription ‘Senna Forever’, paying tribute to Brazil’s beloved motorsport legend.
Ocon shared on Instagram the story behind the design submitted to him by Fernanda, which said “The helmet blends the warm colours of a Brazilian sunset with greens and oranges that bring to mind nature, birds, and lush vegetation. On the back, a bird silhouette symbolises freedom and movement, with a “north” pointing upward where Esteban’s parents’ initials sit, representing guidance and family roots. Small stickers and details highlight personal touches and sources of inspiration, like Ayrton Senna’s S and logo, paying tribute to the legendary driver in his home country.”
Race used helmets are hard to come by for collectors, especially from the current 2025 season. This is even more true of one-off editions like this unique fan-design. However, Esteban has chosen to use the popularity of his designer search competition to now also raise funds for an important cause. All proceeds of this auction lot will be donated to Ocon’s chosen charity, the Laureus Sport for Good Foundation, supporting more than 300 programmes in over 40 countries and territories, each using the power of sport to support young people from under-served communities.
Esteban Ocon said: “I truly believe that sport has the power to change the lives of young people, it certainly changed mine, so I’m happy to be teaming up with F1 Authentics to auction off my special helmet from this year’s Brazilian Grand Prix to raise funds for Laureus Sport for Good, a global charity that uses the power of sport to transform the lives of children and young people in need all around the world. It is a cause that is very dear to me so any support would be greatly appreciated. Funds raised will help support Laureus programmes around the world including Brazil, a country that is very special to me and where I have been lucky enough to receive much support from since the beginning of my career. Thanks for the support.”
Sean Fitzpatrick, Chairman of Laureus Sport for Good, said: “We are incredibly grateful to Esteban for donating such a unique and personal piece of F1 memorabilia to Laureus Sport for Good and to F1 Authentics for facilitating the auction. I met Esteban earlier this year and his passion for using his platform to make a difference was clear to see. All funds raised by this incredible helmet will directly support Laureus’ work using sport to positively impact more young people in Brazil and around the world, providing them with the resources they need to overcome challenges and build a better future for themselves and their communities.”
Bidding for this special helmet is live from 18th November at f1authentics.com.
Here’s F1 Commission info
[The story is as per press release]