“The Samurai without a Master. Ruler of the track”: Fernando Alonso’s helmet design inspired by his tattoo for the Japanese GP gets F1 fans’ approval

Two-time F1 champion Fernando Alonso will be sporting a special helmet design this weekend at the Japanese GP. The helmet will pay tribute to the samurai warriors who hail from the Land of the Rising Sun.

Alonso and Aston Martin will be celebrating the indomitable spirit of the Samurai warrior at this weekend's race at the Suzuka circuit with the new helmet design. The Spaniard is known to have an affinity with Japan's ancient warriors and also has a samurai tattoo running down his back.

The 42-year-old's helmet will adorn the red and white colors of the Japanese flag with the samurai warrior image on the back, surrounded by the various iconic landmarks of the country.

The Aston Martin driver's latest helmet design has received F1 fans' approval as many drew parallels between Alonso and the Japanese warriors. One user on X (Twitter) called the two-time champion the Ruler of the tracks.

"Ronin Alonso. The Samurai without a Master. Ruler of the track," they wrote.

Here are a few more reactions to Fernando Alonso's special edition helmet:

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Former F1 driver reckons Fernando Alonso was "very off form" in the Singapore GP

Aston Martin and Fernando Alonso had a disastrous outing at the Singapore Grand Prix last weekend. To put it in the Spaniard's own words, "everything that could go wrong, did go wrong" for the team.

Alonso has single-handedly turned around weekends for the team on many occasions, but he too appeared flustered over the radio. The Spaniard commented that the car was undrivable, a stark contrast to how his season began. On top of that, a slow pit stop and a five-second penalty meant he was the last driver to take the checkered flag.

Former Red Bull driver David Coulthard reckoned that Alonso was not himself in the Singapore GP.

“Very off form for Fernando,” he told Channel 4. “Made that mistake coming into the pit lane, yes it is a tricky pit lane and having made some mistakes in pit lanes that can happen, but on the radio he was saying the car is undriveable and for the first time it seemed as if Fernando was throwing in the towel,” he said.

Coulthard added that Alonso didn't show any hints of his usual samurai fighter spirit in the race.

“That’s normally not at all the way he is. He’s just an absolute samurai fighter and just keeps going. Afterwards he looked like he’d really been through the wars and looked every one of his 42 years,” he added.

Fernando Alonso will look to put his first non-point-scoring finish with Aston Martin behind him and gear up for a better finish at the Japanese GP.