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F1 Helmet Identities - why not remove all sponsor advertising?


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#1 danmills

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Posted 22 September 2021 - 20:13

As part of having driver identities and choosing a career number, why not take it a step further and allow less influenced helmet designs so that the colours, patterns, stripes etc become part of that driver.

Sennas iconic yellow green and blue stripes.

Hills dark and white dashes.

Fisichellas yellow and green ribbons.

Irvines orange and green.

Draw lines on paper and most F1 fans would recognise. I made an off season game thread years ago with the same concept of guessing from blocks of colours.

Instantly iconic and they are just combinations from 20+ years ago.

Heck I even still remember Pedro Lamys wide purpley pink stripe.

This isn't just a nod to the past, but a way in which drivers could further market themselves or express their character without the burden of a sponsor breathing down their neck dictating everything.

A fan of Ricciardo could still wear a hat from 2016 without looking out of place now at McLaren. That's got to be good, Nascar does it with driver numbers, this is adding to that number identity.

Red Bull are the absolute worst for creating clones. Are they really gaining that much more from the helmet stickers?

Even the halo has become prime real estate.

Keep helmets clean (ta-dum).


Edited by danmills, 23 September 2021 - 11:51.


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#2 Marklar

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Posted 22 September 2021 - 20:21

$$$

#3 ARTGP

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Posted 22 September 2021 - 20:26

If a sponsor is paying to be there, then I don't see the issue. Helmets are still recognizable. If a driver doesn't want sponsors on his helmet, then he can break the contract with said sponsor or team who pays him to do it. And I can count on one elbow the number of drivers who have done such a thing.


Edited by ARTGP, 22 September 2021 - 20:27.


#4 jonpollak

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Posted 22 September 2021 - 20:32

I heard ya Dan.
All the best lids are fairly clean.
Jp

#5 Hrco42

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Posted 22 September 2021 - 20:33

A fan of Ricciardo could still wear a hat from 2016 without looking out of place now at McLaren. That's got to be good, Nascar does it with driver numbers.


But then this fan would have no reason to buy new Ricciardo McLaren merch, and that's a no-no. The more money the fan spends, the better

#6 karl100589

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Posted 22 September 2021 - 20:34

I’m trying to think of the last truly iconic helmet design. Probably Vettel’s white and German flag stripe during his Ferrari days. Lewis’ was fairly well known in his early McLaren days, but has drifted so far away from the original design.

#7 William Hunt

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Posted 22 September 2021 - 21:13

The helmets used to be so simple and very recognisable. Every driver used to have his colour scheme on his helmet and they used to keep that all their carreer. Now they change the look of their helmet so often that you don't recognise them anymore over a longer period.



#8 FNG

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Posted 22 September 2021 - 21:19

I’m trying to think of the last truly iconic helmet design. Probably Vettel’s white and German flag stripe during his Ferrari days. Lewis’ was fairly well known in his early McLaren days, but has drifted so far away from the original design.

 

Loved Vettel's white helmet with the German stripe. It looked so clean and nice. Loved it



#9 pacificquay

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Posted 22 September 2021 - 21:26

Aside from in the case of Red Bull, the messy helmets are little to do with sponsors.

 

Most of the memorable bold ones cited by the original post had sponsor logos on them too.

 

It’s simply that the principles of good clear design have been lost.



#10 OvDrone

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Posted 22 September 2021 - 21:48

I’m trying to think of the last truly iconic helmet design. Probably Vettel’s white and German flag stripe during his Ferrari days. Lewis’ was fairly well known in his early McLaren days, but has drifted so far away from the original design.

I don't know dude. A purple and black helmet looks pretty iconic to me.

 

Personal preference aside, evidently.



#11 MikeTekRacing

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Posted 22 September 2021 - 22:02

Mika's helmet was cool, David's helmet also...
i liked Schumi's original designs also (with the blue top).



#12 Loosenut

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Posted 22 September 2021 - 23:41

I like what Llando's does with his lid design. It might be different all the time, but you will always know its Llando's.

I think Christian Klien's was the 1st one I remember seeing that looked like the sponsors had designed it.

#13 Nobody

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Posted 23 September 2021 - 00:44

Visually the logos themselves are not as problematic as is the actual detail  in the designs themeslves.

 

The recognisable designs are light on detail with bigger bolder shapes and a 'base' color to build on (Senna yellow, Michael white then red etc.), as opposed to pins stripes and gold licks etc.

 

Lando's being a example of this in the modern lids - yellow fluro base with two blue stripes really



#14 loki

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Posted 23 September 2021 - 01:22

All the best lids are fairly clean.

 

 

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#15 Dratini

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Posted 23 September 2021 - 04:44

Webber had the best consistent helmet of a RBR driver. Instantly recognisable whenever you saw it. See a Red Bull driver with a yellow top, you know exactly who the pilot of that race car is.



#16 d246

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Posted 23 September 2021 - 07:10

Mika's helmet was cool, David's helmet also...
i liked Schumi's original designs also (with the blue top).

 

Those were the ones I was going to mention. Prost too. Clean simple lines with a nod to their flag.



#17 SB

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Posted 23 September 2021 - 07:18

As part of having driver identities and choosing a career number, why not take it a step further and allow less influenced helmet designs so that the colours, patterns, stripes etc become part of that driver.
....
Keep helmets clean (ta-dum).

 

Your suggestion is so much making sense :up:  , and therefore would not happened in Formula One  :blush:



#18 Taxi

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Posted 23 September 2021 - 07:47

There is nothing we can do about it: Sponsors and teams demand it, the design around sponsors is way too messy, and the halo basicaly hides everything. This year Giovinazzi has the only cool helmet desgin. But even when a driver  makes it, he often ruins it the next year. 



#19 PlatenGlass

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Posted 23 September 2021 - 09:18

I think it could backfire against sponsors. Imagine if Red Bull made a point of saying their drivers are free to have whatever helmet design they like, rather than all having basically the same corporate bland helmet. Which would be better for them as a brand? Does anyone think these bland conformist helmets sell cans of Red Bull?

Edited by PlatenGlass, 23 September 2021 - 11:08.


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#20 IrvTheSwerve

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Posted 23 September 2021 - 09:26

$$$

 

Which is the answer.

 

Even without sponsors though, drivers have such generic designs these days with crappy 'whooshes' everywhere, that I'm not sure if it would make much difference.

 

It was great a few years back when they decided to ban different designs every weekend (except for one 'special' weekend), but that has now passed.

 

With the halo, i don't think it matters anymore. Every driver could have a black helmet on and you'd hardly tell, except for the T cam shots.

 

It is a massive shame, though. Driver helmet design was such a cool thing to give a driver an identity. 10-20 years ago I could recognise every single helmet...now, I'm pretty sure it would be difficult.



#21 Anderis

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Posted 23 September 2021 - 09:41

If you asked me to tell what a helmet of any particual current F1 driver looks like, I wouldn't be able to tell.



#22 Silverstone96

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Posted 23 September 2021 - 10:38

Are you offering to pay for this?

#23 SenorSjon

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Posted 23 September 2021 - 11:44

Well, they only need to design the top, that is the only part you can still see.



#24 smitten

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Posted 23 September 2021 - 11:48

If you asked me to tell what a helmet of any particual current F1 driver looks like, I wouldn't be able to tell.


Outside of one or two particular designs, i couldn't describe any lids from any era. I'd probably recognize a lot more, but i couldn't describe Senna's in any more detail than "yellow"

#25 danmills

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Posted 23 September 2021 - 11:48

Who was the first with the 'my first photoshop vector art whooshes' helmet designs?

I'm thinking it really took off in 2005/2006, particularly Kimi and Alonso replacing the blocks of red with more fancy lines.

 

I guess this was when the cars started getting a bit more curvy too, less boxy sidepods etc so the helmet patterns flowed with the car more. 

Trulli's Monaco 2004 chrome helmet was a bit out there for its time too.


Edited by danmills, 23 September 2021 - 11:49.


#26 Bleu

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Posted 23 September 2021 - 12:21

Irvine's Jaguar helmet was first of its kind:

 

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#27 Atreiu

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Posted 23 September 2021 - 14:00

The last memorable and somewhat clean helmet was that of Simoncelli.

RIP.