Explainer

Why F1 drivers can change helmet designs again

For five seasons Formula 1 limited how often drivers could change their helmet design. The rule was relaxed in 2016 and removed in March 2020, which is why special helmets now appear at almost every Grand Prix.

2015: one design for the whole season

Ahead of the 2015 season a revised article of the Sporting Regulations stated that “in order for drivers to be easily distinguished from one another whilst they are on the track, the crash helmet of each driver must be presented in substantially the same livery at every Event during a Championship season.” Formula1.com reported that it was voted through in January 2015.

Minor changes, such as new sponsor logos, were still allowed as long as the colours stayed broadly the same and the driver remained recognisable. One-off designs were not. Sidepodcast gave the example of the glow-in-the-dark helmet Jean-Éric Vergne ran in Singapore in 2014.

Sebastian Vettel was widely seen as the reason for the rule. Autosport later counted about 60 livery changes during his Red Bull years. He called the rule “a joke”.

2016: one exception per season

On 28 September 2016 the FIA World Motor Sport Council kept the basic rule but added an exception: “a driver will now be allowed one event (such as a home race) for a special livery (at the driver’s choice).” Drivers could also change their helmet livery if they changed teams during a season.

In the 2019 regulations this sat in Article 9: the helmet had to be “in substantially the same livery at every Event” except for “one Event of the driver’s choice”.

The single exception was easy to use up. In 2019 Daniil Kvyat raced a different design at Monza, and three weeks later, after submitting his plans for the Russian Grand Prix to race director Michael Masi, he was told the change was “too much”. Masi explained the rule with television in mind: “If we’ve got someone changing helmets all the time, we’ve actually got to think and look twice and see who it is.” By the 2019 Mexican Grand Prix Vettel and Lewis Hamilton were criticising the rule in public, and Max Verstappen pointed out that cars already carry large numbers and a halo.

March 2020: the limit is removed

After the teams agreed to drop the rule, the World Motor Sport Council met in Geneva on 6 March 2020 and approved “a change to the 2020 Sporting Regulations … to allow for unrestricted variations to driver helmet designs between races.” Issue 3 of the 2020 regulations, published the same day, no longer contains the livery sentence. Article 9 keeps only the requirement that the driver’s number is “clearly visible from the front of the car and on the driver’s crash helmet.”

That is the starting point for this archive’s modern seasons: 2020 onwards, with home-race designs, tributes and charity helmets at most rounds. Earlier designs are in F1 Legends.

What the rules say about helmets today

No livery limit. The design can change from race to race.
The number must be visible. The 2025 Sporting Regulations (Article 9.1 f) still required the number on the driver’s crash helmet.
Homologation. The FIA’s Appendix L sets the helmet standard for the Formula One World Championship as 8860-2018-ABP. A helmet may not be modified from its original specification except as the manufacturer allows, and paint must be applied following the manufacturer’s guidelines, because paint can react with the shell.
No design approval. Adrien Paviot, who designs Charles Leclerc’s helmets, has said designs are not sent to the FIA: “We just need to make the number visible.”

Who paints them is covered on the F1 helmet designers page, for example Jens Munser Designs, one of Sebastian Vettel’s longest-standing designers.

Questions

Can F1 drivers change their helmet design?

Yes. Since 6 March 2020 the Sporting Regulations allow unrestricted changes to helmet designs between races. The driver’s number still has to be visible on the helmet.

When did F1 ban helmet design changes?

From the 2015 season, drivers had to present their helmet in substantially the same livery at every event. In September 2016 the FIA added an exception for one event per season of the driver’s choice, and the restriction was removed in March 2020.

Does the FIA approve helmet designs?

Designs are not sent to the FIA for approval. The helmet itself must be homologated to the FIA 8860-2018-ABP standard, and painting must follow the manufacturer’s guidelines.