SinceFormula1driverseffectively taketo the field ofcombat
in masks,they take great pridein the design of their helmets,
which both identify them to the fans andreveal their character. But
look beneath the paintworkand there are a surprising number of
performance-enhancingfeatures.
McLaren’s Carlos Sainz revealed thatfor the start of the 2017
seasonhe madethe switch to a Schuberthhelmet from his
previousArai model purelyfor performancerea sons. The principal
difference, he says, was weight.
“Compared with the previous brandofhe lmet I used, the
Schuberth helmet was300 gramslighter,”says Sainz. “When we
moved into thenew regulations for 2017, withbigger cars with
more downforce, we were going to experience moreG-forcein
the corners. Ifyou multiply 5G by an extra 300g of weighton
your head – that makes quite a big differenceto yourneck over
the course ofa race weekend. That’swhy I moved to thismakeof
helmet and I’ve found it’s very comfortable in the way it fits on my
face, andhas good visibility throughthe viso r too.”
Sainz adds thatthe ventilation of thehelmet isa lso impressive
and make s a noticeable difference in hot environments suchas
Singapore. Ontop there are four vents that direct air onto thetop
of his head. In addition there are four more vents belowthe visor.
The higher twoof the four are covere d with fairings to reduce
airflowthrough them, therebyimproving the audibilityof h is radio
when he talks to his engineer onthe pitwall.
“I’ve never had a problemwithgettingtoo hotwearing this
helmet,” Sainz adds.
Anotherdifference withthe Schuberth lidfor Sainzis the double
clip attachedto the bottomof the vis or. One click brings the visor
partly down, while allowing a narrowgap at the bottom.
“This ishelpful to avoid misting in wet weather,but al so allows
a bit of air toget in, say forwhen you’re driv ing down the pitlane,”
says Sa inz. “A second click allows thevisor to fully close.”
The top ofthe visor features arubber seal tokeep rainwater out,
and there’sroomf or up to12 transparent tear-off strips,which can
be removed if the visor becomes coated with organic matter,
oil or particles of rubber. Sainzsayshe would normally use
about sixduring arace distance, but at sometracks whichare
pa rticularly dirty, hemight use as many as eigh t.
The rear andside of the helmet feature sculpting that’s designed
to save weight, but which has alsoundergonewindtunneltesting to
help reducedrag. Aero fairings can
be atta ched to work in conjunction
with the car’s design. Sainz’s
2017 helmet featured aspoiler
at the back toavoid buffeting in
the Renaultcockpit, but it’s been
deemedsurplus to requirements for
McLaren. There’salso a transparent
fairing on thehelmet’s chin, aerodynamicallysha ped to prevent
lifting and buffeting at highspeed.PRO
RACING03 Performance
MORE THAN A
LIFESAVER
You might
thinktheonly function
of a driver’shelmetis
safety but, asCarlos Sainz
explains, thereare significant
performance
benefitsto begainedtoo
WORDSJAMESROBERTS
PICTURESSTEVEN TEE32 F1 RACING DECEMBER 2019
“THERE ARE HELMETS THAT HAVE A
BACK SPOILERTO PROTECT YOU FROM
BUFFETING AND HELMET LIFT, BUT THIS
ONE DOESN’T NEED IT”
SinceFormula1driverseffectively taketo the field ofcombat
in masks,they take great pridein the design of their helmets,
which both identify them to the fans andreveal their character. But
look beneath the paintworkand there are a surprising number of
performance-enhancingfeatures.
McLaren’s Carlos Sainz revealed thatfor the start of the 2017
seasonhe madethe switch to a Schuberthhelmet from his
previousArai model purelyfor performancerea sons. The principal
difference, he says, was weight.
“Compared with the previous brandofhe lmet I used, the
Schuberth helmet was300 gramslighter,”says Sainz. “When we
moved into thenew regulations for 2017, withbigger cars with
more downforce, we were going to experience moreG-forcein
the corners. Ifyou multiply 5G by an extra 300g of weighton
your head – that makes quite a big differenceto yourneck over
the course ofa race weekend. That’swhy I moved to thismakeof
helmet and I’ve found it’s very comfortable in the way it fits on my
face, andhas good visibility throughthe viso r too.”
Sainz adds thatthe ventilation of thehelmet isa lso impressive
and make s a noticeable difference in hot environments suchas
Singapore. Ontop there are four vents that direct air onto thetop
of his head. In addition there are four more vents belowthe visor.
The higher twoof the four are covere d with fairings to reduce
airflowthrough them, therebyimproving the audibilityof h is radio
when he talks to his engineer onthe pitwall.
“I’ve never had a problemwithgettingtoo hotwearing this
helmet,” Sainz adds.
Anotherdifference withthe Schuberth lidfor Sainzis the double
clip attachedto the bottomof the vis or. One click brings the visor
partly down, while allowing a narrowgap at the bottom.
“This ishelpful to avoid misting in wet weather,but al so allows
a bit of air toget in, say forwhen you’re driv ing down the pitlane,”
says Sa inz. “A second click allows thevisor to fully close.”
The top ofthe visor features arubber seal tokeep rainwater out,
and there’sroomf or up to12 transparent tear-off strips,which can
be removed if the visor becomes coated with organic matter,
oil or particles of rubber. Sainzsayshe would normally use
about sixduring arace distance, but at sometracks whichare
pa rticularly dirty, hemight use as many as eigh t.
The rear andside of the helmet feature sculpting that’s designed
to save weight, but which has alsoundergonewindtunneltesting to
help reducedrag. Aero fairings can
be atta ched to work in conjunction
with the car’s design. Sainz’s
2017 helmet featured aspoiler
at the back toavoid buffeting in
the Renaultcockpit, but it’s been
deemedsurplus to requirements for
McLaren. There’salso a transparent
fairing on thehelmet’s chin, aerodynamicallysha ped to prevent
lifting and buffeting at highspeed.PRO
RACING03 Performance
MORE THAN A
LIFESAVER
You might
thinktheonly function
of a driver’shelmetis
safety but, asCarlosSainz
explains, there
are significant
performance
benefitsto begainedtoo
WORDSJAMESROBERTS
PICTURESSTEVEN TEE32 F1 RACING DECEMBER 2019
“THERE ARE HELMETS THAT HAVE A
BACK SPOILERTO PROTECT YOU FROM
BUFFETING AND HELMET LIFT, BUT THIS
ONE DOESN’T NEED IT”