In an auction to raise money for flood victims in Emilia-Romagna, the Formula One helmet that Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc wore at his home Monaco Grand Prix last month sold for a record 306,000 euros ($329,960).
The cost makes it the most expensive racing helmet ever auctioned, according to auctioneers RM Sotheby’s, who made the assertion in a statement on Thursday.
The previous record was established in 2019 when a 1990 helmet used by Brazilian triple winner Ayrton Senna sold for 162,000 euros while still including the team radio.
In a charity auction for “Charles Leclerc for Emilia-Romagna,” which raised a total of 429,600 euros, Leclerc’s race outfit brought in 61,200 euros, his boots brought in 20,400 euros, and his gloves brought in 42,000 euros. When severe rain caused more than 20 rivers to burst their banks and send water rushing through cities and villages in northern Italy in May, fifteen people perished in the floods.