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For most fans, the easiest way to tell the difference between two team-mates is to look at the crash helmet of the driver. Helmet design is a fine art. It is the one visible area of an open cockpit car where the driver can express his or her individuality.
Some drivers keep the same helmet design and colour scheme for their entire career – give or take a change in sponsor deal – while others like to chop and change, refining their look to suit the occasion or destination.
One of the most famous helmet designs, was Ayrton Senna’s yellow, green and blue colour scheme. The famous colours can still be seen today, thanks to his nephew Bruno Senna, the Mahindra Racing driver who has adapted the design for his own helmet.
“When I was a kid I didn’t really have a helmet design it was just a white lid, but as soon as I started racing my design was a tribute to Ayrton,” he says. “It’s a small deviation from Ayrton’s original design but it pays tribute to him and reminds people of what he did. It works really well. I get lots of comments about the helmet, the more savvy people will know it’s not the same but it reminds people of an iconic Brazilian helmet colour and I think it will always be my helmet design, I don’t think I’ll ever change it.”