356 replies to this topic

[Group B]

Not sure if they are "better" as they are all at the same safety standard.

From what I understand thought the Arai is easier to set up with the rest of the car and also cheaper.

Quite. Numbers in isolation don't always tell the whole story.

[Ross Stonefeld]

I think Schuberths are pretty expensive which means junior guys don't tend to run them. And tend to stick with the brand they had when they came to F1, at which point they start getting them all for free.

[chumma]

To me, in F1 a driver is going to wear what would typically be determined, to them, as the best available, I know I would. To me the Bell mostly, and Schuberth too look so big compared to the Arai but when side by side they aren't that different, I just find the shape of the Arai much more aesthetically pleasing.

[bub72ck]

Wrong. It's to do with Schumacher and Rosberg being German drivers and Mercedes being a German team. Sam Bird doesn't wear Schuberth as well as far as I now.

This is what Schuberth website said.

"In July 2011 the partnership between Schuberth and Mercedes GP Petronas was significantly enhanced: Schuberth is the official team supplier and now also equips some of the Mercedes GP Petronas pit crew with Schuberth helmets. A special signal system in the helmet was developed for this purpose in conjunction with the team."

I assumed it would be in contract for drivers to wear the helmets but I guess that is only at Ferrari.

[Brandz07]

Wrong. It's to do with Schumacher and Rosberg being German drivers and Mercedes being a German team. Sam Bird doesn't wear Schuberth as well as far as I now.

Neither does Brendon Hartley.

Or Anthony Davidson for that matter, but he only seems to test in the sim anyway.

[tjkoyen]

Different helmet brands fit differently. Lots of people always talk about having either a "Bell-shaped head" or an "Arai-shaped" head.

Most of the F1 guys have custom fit helmets anyway though. Bell, Arai, and Schuberth are all super high quality helmets. The Schuberth is the most expensive and exclusive of the 3. For a while, you couldn't even buy the helmet they use unless you were supported by the company itself. Anyone can buy the 8860-spec Arai or Bell off the shelf. Just as a reference, off the shelf, the Bell HP3 is $3500. The Arai GP6 RC is $4000. I've heard the Schuberth is $5000 though I'm not positive because you can't buy it anywhere without calling the company and ordering it from them direct since they do a custom build and fit for anyone who buys the SF1.

Saying that most of the grid is on Arai means that Arai makes the best helmet is totally untrue. Those guys probably get free helmets from Arai, that's why they wear them. Plus Arai is kind of the standard helmet for any form of auto racing these days. I wear the SK6 from Arai which is the same helmet as the F1 guys, just not Nomex rated so it's for karting only and it isn't carbon fiber. But I just bought a new Stilo which I'm waiting to get.

[Risil]

Lots of people always talk about having either a "Bell-shaped head"

Fnarr fnarr

Edited by Risil, 04 February 2013 - 14:50.