Romain Grosjean wears a work of art in France

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It's often customary for drivers to sport special helmet liveries for their home race, with designs that usually showcase in a creative way their country's colors.

For this weekend's French GP, Romain Grosjean has turned away from a patriotic theme and entrusted his lid to artist Richard Orlinski.

The Paris-born sculptor is the creator of the French GP's mascot, the giant red, white and blue gorilla that adorns the entry of Paul Ricard.

"Last year, obviously, I did blue, white, red which is a very nice one, but this year I wanted to do something a bit different," explained Grosjean.

"So, I contacted Richard Orlinski because I’m a big fan of his artwork and I met him here last year and I sent him a white piece of paper and I said can you produce a helmet (design) for me for the French Grand Prix?

"And he answered yes, I would love to and I was super excited about it and then I received the artwork and I think it does represent Richard very well in the way that the design is done.

"It’s very very different to anything I’ve been wearing up to date so I like it even more and I think it’s just great that it’s part of the whole show.

"Richard is doing the trophy for the podium, we can see the ‘Kong’ everywhere around the racetrack and I know there will be my helmet racing on track so it’s pretty cool."

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Phillip van Osten

Motor racing was a backdrop from the outset in Phillip van Osten's life. Born in Southern California, Phillip grew up with the sights and sounds of fast cars thanks to his father, Dick van Osten, an editor and writer for Auto Speed and Sport and Motor Trend. Phillip's passion for racing grew even more when his family moved to Europe and he became acquainted with the extraordinary world of Grand Prix racing. He was an early contributor to the monthly French F1i Magazine, often providing a historic or business perspective on Formula 1's affairs. In 2012, he co-authored along with fellow journalist Pierre Van Vliet the English-language adaptation of a limited edition book devoted to the great Belgian driver Jacky Ickx. He also authored "The American Legacy in Formula 1", a book which recounts the trials and tribulations of American drivers in Grand Prix racing. Phillip is also a commentator for Belgian broadcaster Be.TV for the US Indycar series.