Valtteri Bottas has revealed that he will compete in this weekend’s Monaco Grand Prix with a crash helmet bearing Mika Hakkinen’s old Formula 1 design. 

Several drivers have used Monaco in recent years to adopt a special helmet design, and ahead of Thursday's opening practice session Bottas unveiled his own to honour his compatriot.

The Mercedes driver's tribute helmet bears Hakkinen's classic stripes down the side in three shades of blue, atop a white base, a design that echoes the design of the Finnish national flag. 

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Hakkinen won the Monaco Grand Prix for the only time 20 years ago, and Bottas said he wanted to honour that success and the Finn's first world championship the same year.

'He won here 20 years ago exactly and that year he won the title,' said Bottas, who works with Hakkinen's former manager Didier Coton. 'So, I wanted to pay a tribute. I respect him as a driver, as a guy, and I always loved the paint as well.'

Two-time world champion Hakkinen retired in 2001 after an illustrious career in motorsport's top flight, racing for Lotus and then McLaren from 1993-2001.

Stoffel Vandoorne and Brendon Hartley have already revealed special crash helmets for this weekend's race that feature a Monaco theme, while Charles Leclerc has opted for a design based on his late father Herve's that also carries a memorial to family friend Jules Bianchi.

In 2013, French driver Jean-Eric Vergne paid tribute to 1970s French racer Francois Cevert by adopting his helmet design for the race. Sebastian Vettel has adopted a number of Monaco specials over the years, trying to capture some of the glitz and glamour of what many call the jewel in the crown of the F1 calendar.