Helmets... not only icons of safety

Various layers of carbon fibre provide the highest stability, the automatic tinting of the visor facilitates a perfect view, the individual adaptation to the shape of the driver's head guarantees the best possible degree of comfort... helmets in Formula One are not only icons of safety and hi-tech, they also affect the aerodynamic performance of the race cars.

The times when Formula One drivers bought off-the-shelf helmets are long gone.

Today, every helmet is a unique item, individually tailored to the respective driver at great effort and expense. The Braunschweig-based company Schubert Engineering, which supplies not only Michael Schumacher's helmet but also equips the BMW WilliamsF1 Team drivers Nick Heidfeld and Mark Webber, never forces a driver's head into a standard-size helmet.

Each helmet is built around the head in question - from the inside out. In the first stage, the driver's head is scanned to create a life-size model. Once the model has been completed, the next step is similar to how the ancient Egyptians worked on their mummies: the model head is wrapped, layer-by-layer, in hi-tech fibres.

Although an individually customised helmet is still pie in the sky for an average motorcyclist participating in road traffic, here too, the fit decides not only the comfort, but also the level of protection provided.

While a common motorcycle helmet is constructed in three layers - padding, inside and outside shell - a Formula One helmet has no fewer than 17 layers.

The individual components are a jealously-guarded secret - the specialists cannot be persuaded to disclose more than the three main substances: carbon fibre for rigidity, fireproof aramide and polyethylene, which is also used in the production of bullet-proof vests and is intended to make the helmet impenetrable.

Added to these are aluminium, magnesium and, as a binding agent, epoxy resin.

In Formula One, the saying goes "what is good for a monocoque also makes good clothing".

The advantages of a light helmet are clear - it serves to reduce the strain on the driver's neck muscles, especially in track sections with high G forces.

During the production of a helmet, 120 carbon fibre mats are glued together. After that, the helmet is off into the autoclave, where the individual layers are bonded to one another and hardened under high pressure and at a constant temperature of 132°C.

Parts subject to exceptional loads, such as the underside and the visor cut-out, are additionally reinforced using aluminium and titanium. The interior padding consists of two layers of fireproof Nomex.

The ventilation system is designed to allow up to five litres of fresh air to flow into the helmet's interior.

A filter cleans the air of the finest motor oil, carbon and brake dust particles.

A radio in the chin area provides the means for communication with the pit. Thanks to a tremendous research and development effort, the noise level inside the helmets has been reduced to below 100 decibels.

Before the FIA grants its approval for a helmet, it has to pass a number of different crash tests. The helmet's secure fit is also tested. Subjected to a load of 38kg, the chin strap may not stretch by more than 30mm.

Last but not least, the helmet is subjected to an 800°C flame for 45 seconds in the fire test.