Helmet graphics

[Tris]

I was wondering what people think about some drivers helmet designs?

The most diabolical helmet design of all time. My vote goes to Irvine's new design. Bl##dy awful! Too detailed to be picked up well. Although I do not like M. Schumacher's new design either.

My favourite design of all time has to be Alesi’s take on de Angelis's helmet.

I have also noticed that JMP’s helmet graphic has a nod to the design of the greatest driver of all time (IMHO) Gilles Villeneuve! Is it right for driver to use the designs of other drive,r for example Daily and Diniz

[Toth]

I liked that Damon had his fathers design, but usually I feel each driver should have his own colours.

I like plain and simple designs, with some kind of meaning attached to them. Not just some pretty colour scheme. Like Coulthards, or Irvine's previous design, with the clover leaf.
Zonta has a nice design too.
Frentzen's helmet is cool, I like black.

[Ralf's Girl]

I thought Damon had a very symbolic helmet, because it was hard to miss! I like Ralf's for the same reason!

Not too keen on Jenson's helmet - it's a bit tacky.

[LYM]

I like the Saltire design on DC's helmet. Looks cool and patriotic.

[Carla O]

I like DC's helmet as well.

Senna's was also good (more in the beginning when he had less personal sponsors

xxx
C

[Bononi]

Gilles helmet still my fav. But I like Trulli's and Vertappen's too.
Damon's helmet is a the same of his father Graham...

[bringbackslicks]

Worst? Jacky Ickx, that double holed thing that he wore for a while. The helmet was bad enough, then he trimmed the holes in white to emphasize it.

Most distinctive? Senna or Lauda

Personal fav? Piquet

[Jeanburrasca81]

Hi,
Alesi's silver helmet with the double-J is unbeatable.
I liked Senna's design as well because it symbolised agression and shouted to the other drivers to let him pass. Actually de la Rosa's helmet's nice, Irvine's new design as well, DC's cool too.

[Marshal]

I always liked Gabriele Tarquini's, which has a spiders web over it, because he was a Spiderman fan when he was younger.

[Motorsport Online]

People acting for DC have allegedly pursued every avenue possible to keep the 'copyright' to the Saltire on his helmet, even going so far as to threaten drivers with court action for using the device in lower classes.

Helmet designs can be very emotive, and I think that the best design has to go to Mike Goodacre (0 Plate Karting Holder & Sportscars) who ran with a full airbrushed lion's head over a Simpson Bandit.

[kuchi]

Well I kind of like Irvine´s, he always brings something new, and wacky, hehas abig personality. Going back to helmet designs, I really liked what montoya did in laguna seca, where he had a tribute to "Gonchi" Rodriguez, that was a good design,because it meant a lot for the driver, it´s kind of a lucky charm for some drivers. Anyway, it´s fun to see what racers put in their heads.

[KC]

Alesi's helmet is quite nice. I especially like the chrome effect. Troy Lee does good work. I too like the patriotic designs, DC's is very nice.

Some of the CART guys have excellent helmets as well. Dario Franchitti's Saltire and Italian flag looks great on his helmet. I also like Micahel Andretti's American flag themed helmet.

[bella]

kc, i agree, dario franchitti's skid lid is really classy. but all the other cart drivers have atendency towards the hectic and bad taste. you can tell who came from f1. theirs are really distictive and easy to remember (i guess when nearly all the cars are different you don't need to have distinctive lids).
i like damon's, and another that was handed down from father to son (not that any normal sane fan would notice..) was christian/wilson fittipaldi's. that one started out as triangles, but someone pointed out to wilson that raindrops are the most aerodynamic things on earth, and so they became waterdrops.

it's good when you get a sponsor's slogan to work with a driver - eg. cristiano da matta's use of the pioneer slogan 'it's loud in here'.

[Fissychella]

I think that my favourtie helmet design has to be jacques Villeneuve because it is simple but you automatically recognise it as his. Damons was the same even though it was Grahams. Sennas was great too.

Of the current crop I also like Wurzs because it looks really agressive and Fissys is quite cool too.

Worst one has to go to Gaston Mazzacane. Oh dear!

[Speed Demon]

Being firmly in the Damon Hill fan camp, I have to say his take on his dad's skid lid was tasteful, particularly in the Jordan years.

In fact, when drivers embellish a relative's helmets, they tend to look quite good. Michael Andretti's design is pretty tidy.

I always thought Mansell's helmet was clever, especially when he drove for Newman-Haas, and though I'm not to keen on Button's helmet, the interworking of the J and B is quite creative.

I tend to prefer CART driver's helmets - which have more of a passing nod to their bike racing cousins. Paul Tracy's is cool, as was Greg Moore's. Emmo's lid was good too and Jimmy Vasser's paintscheme has an elegant simplicity about it.

However, personal taste is everything. For some reason, one of my favourites (Gilles Villeneuve aside) is Nicolas Minassian's design. It's the one I'd have like to use. He's a damn fine driver too!

[EERO]

As a designer, I love this topic whenever it re-appears.

Damon's version of his Father's Helmet remains one of my favorites. As bella pointed out, the helmet graphics modelled on a relatives' have a distinctinctive and elegant quality. It gives them the cachet of heraldry. One that has not been mentioned yet is Ralfie's variant on his Brother's helmet. The German tri-color wrapping the casque with a field of stars on the dome. Now that Michael has adopted a Red base color and Ralf's is yellow, it begs the question that should little Mick Schumacher ever choose to race, that his helmet would be black.

It is interesting to me that JV deliberately has chosen NOT to acknowledge his father and that his choice in Helmet graphics emphasizes this. Jaques' Helmet is though, about the most hideous thing I have ever seen, bad color choice, cheesey 1970's supergraphics-all in all an aesthetic disaster.

Wurz helmet is cool, though the design is too busy to "read" at speed and from a distance.

Most of the other designs are unimaginative variations on a wedge derived from the angle of the visor and a circle on the crown of the helmet. The fact that TGF felt compelled to revise his design because it was too similar to Barrichello's is proof of this.


Frentzen's is one of my fave's, a good nationalistic color choice with a design emphasizing speed and motion. I was fooled into buying one of the grotesque hats modelled on the helmet-it doesn't translate to cloth and embroidery.

I much preferred Irv's old scheme, the shamrock was a nice touch. DC's is the best of the current bunch. Franchitti's addition of the waving Tricolore is a nice idea but a tacky execution.

[angst]

I always liked Gilles', and Damon's was pretty good - tastefully transferred to the modern helmets. Depailler's was my favourite though.
Of the current crop, DC, Franchitti, Alesi, Frentzen and Minassian have the best, IMO.
Isn't Diniz's a take on Carlos Pace's? And does anybody remember Perry McCarthy using a 'Gilles' design for his very, very brief foray into F1?

[Tris]

Originally posted by EERO
It is interesting to me that JV deliberately has chosen NOT to acknowledge his father and that his choice in Helmet graphics emphasizes this. Jaques' Helmet is though, about the most hideous thing I have ever seen, bad color choice, cheesey 1970's supergraphics-all in all an aesthetic disaster.

Jacques used to use Gilles's helmet design but as he graduated through the formulae he changed to his current, self penned design.

[Speed Demon]

In terms of the colours used and so forth, rather than the actual design, Jacques helmet is more like his uncle Jacques Snr, than his father's.

[EERO]

Thanks, Speed, I didn't recall Jacques' the elder's design.

angst, you are correct about the Carlos Pace reference on Diniz helmet, also worn by Al Pacino in the excreble "Bobby Deerfield"

Pace's helmet was tellow arrows on Black, Diniz blend red to yellow on black.