Liveries won’t be the only colours schemes revealed before the start of the season, the drivers also have to choose what helmet designs to go with.

There have been some pretty spectacular lids over the years which should really be appreciated as F1 is getting more and more corporate. One of the results is that helmets become covered in sponsors and their team colours the majority of the time.

It’s a shame that is the case; helmets are the best way of identifying your favourite when they are going 200mph. It may seem like a little thing but your driver with their helmet poking out of the top of the car will be the image that sticks. Not only that but it helps draw the casual fan it by making it easier for them to follow the sport.
So let’s take a look at some of the famous designs.

Lewis Hamilton

Well you can’t really miss him can you? It’s too close to Senna’s for me to really love. I feel a bit of guilt for that as it was never intended to actually be a replica of Senna’s helmet, in fact the main reason for the bright colours was so his father could easily spot Lewis. It’s a great design but the connotations with it can wear a little thin over time. Hamilton is a superb driver and should be recognised in his own right not constantly compared to a past great.

Hamilton occasionally will add a little something to the helmet if he is racing at a big venue, Monaco and his home Britain for example.

Felipe Massa

Like Hamilton, Massa has stuck with the same base design through thick and thin. Occasionally some little tweaks are made but it is never anything radical. It stands out brilliantly from the red Ferrari and is a great design although perhaps it can appear a little untidy at times on the bottom. The tinted visor works nicely with the colours too. Massa has pulled off a small feat making the Schuberth helmet look good.

Ayrton Senna

This has to be the most famous of them all. It Senna’s trademark helmet and as he became the stuff of legend, his yellow helmet behind the wheel became one of the most famous images of the F1 world.

Bruno’s arrival to the grid will mean that helmet design will return.

Schumacher and Hakkinen

This image summed up their rivalry for me. The braver Mclaren man versus the more talented Schumacher who drove the Ferrari. Helmets as opposite in colour as they were with their driving but deep down these two had respect for one another.

Changing helmet designs

Sebastian Vettel

Vettel’s only been in F1 a few years and I’ve already lost count of the many designs he has used. I generally believe F1 drivers should stick with the same helmet pattern so it becomes personal to the driver (if every driver started changing them constantly it would be impossible to tell them apart) but Seb’s are usually quite fun and inject a bit of life.
My favourite of his is the Toro Rosso dedication which was worn at Brazil in 2008. It was a sweet sentiment after an emotional year for both team and driver. The design looks more like a plate you would have on the wall than a driver’s helmet.

The rest of Vettel’s were solely for a bit of fun.

Kimi Raikkonen

The Finn changed his to match the colour of whatever team he was driving for. Almost every year at Monaco he would have a special feature to match the venue.

Fernando Alonso

Raikkonen’s replacement, Alonso, will be reverting back to his traditional colours of his home. This will mean his usual blue and yellow helmet but he has changed it throughout the years. 2009 saw a red and yellow combination while in his stint at Mclaren he adopted the team’s colours.

Perhaps Alonso not taking on the Ferrari red for his helmet symbolises that his heart still lies at Mclaren or he’s using more personal colours like in his championship years to bring him luck so he can taste success once more.

There were a few good one off special lids last year such as Heidfeld’s bubbles, Glock’s helmet art by children and Trulli’s flowers for Suzuka.

Nationality

Many drivers simply choose to wear their national colours. This is usually a fan pleaser, showing the drivers as racing for their country but I would much rather a driver chose something they liked rather than a flag that represents a plot of land.

Coulthard’s 2008.

Mansell’s 1989.

Button’s 2008.

Kubica’s 2009.

And Cevert’s.

So what was your favourite ever helmet design? Do you prefer national colours or a unique design? Have your say in the comments below.