In season helmet design changes to be banned....

[JonRB]

cupofbeans said:

brierleys said:

Reminds me of a place I used to work at which was in quite a bad state of disorganisation but management spent a considerable amount of time insisting we all wore ties and suits to work.

Similar to a friend of mine who works for a certain courier company who sponsor Ferrari. The place is disorganised, targets are consistently being missed and many employees are off with stress, but as long as they have shiny boots and no facial hair, it doesnt matter!

I make a point of not wearing a tie to interviews these days on the grounds that any company that would insist on a tie isn't the kind of company I want to work with.

[Mr_Thyroid]

Came across this on facebook - helmet designs from 1991. Interesting the number of drivers who ended with a design because of an early sponsorship deal and just stuck with it, also sounds like a couple drivers painted it themselves.

https://fbcdn-sphotos-e-a.akamaihd.net/hphotos-ak-...gda=1435328415_ce32812076f5fee074133a512362db6b

https://fbcdn-sphotos-g-a.akamaihd.net/hphotos-ak-...gda=1431047190_a7f34a1868551bbe9a0b011547271344

https://scontent-lhr.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-xpa1/v/t...

https://fbcdn-sphotos-d-a.akamaihd.net/hphotos-ak-...gda=1431722200_d6bead48f2162f5be9fbd62b8e4568e6

[carinaman]

If it's for driver recognition I guess it's more palatable.

[sawman2]

As previously stated by others, driver recognition is not always easy trackside, at Spa last year those with recognisable helmets were easily spotted, I am thinking of Jenson with his pink design, but there were others. Some drivers were difficult to identify, the Mercedes spring to mind, until the damage to Lewis' car... A unique design would make it easier to tell who the driver is, or as someone has already said, dirty great numbers on the car.

[Inertiatic]

Teppic said:

The ban on helmet livery changes was a compromise arrangement.

Bernie and Jean Todt wanted larger race numbers, maybe displayed on a fin on the airbox along with the driver's name and national flag, but the teams rejected this saying they wanted the space for sponsors logos. The solution was to ban the helmet changes so that the drivers could be more recognisable to the fans in the grandstands and on TV.

http://www.grandprix.com/ns/ns30001.html

That actually seems a fairly sensible compromise

[StevieBee]

There used to be a game show on telly called You Bet where contestants had to undertake a certain feat that they believed they could do.

I wrote in with my party piece that being that I could name any F1 driver from 1972 up to whenever the show was going out (early 90's I think) simply by the design of their crash helmet.

I couldn't do that now!

[rev-erend]

Sounds like the rule makers just wanting to clamp down and make more silly rules.

[JonRB]

rev-erend said:

Sounds like the rule makers just wanting to clamp down and make more silly rules.

Sounds like you didn't click the link Teppic posted.

Edit: This one:

Teppic said:

The ban on helmet livery changes was a compromise arrangement.

Bernie and Jean Todt wanted larger race numbers, maybe displayed on a fin on the airbox along with the driver's name and national flag, but the teams rejected this saying they wanted the space for sponsors logos. The solution was to ban the helmet changes so that the drivers could be more recognisable to the fans in the grandstands and on TV.

http://www.grandprix.com/ns/ns30001.html

[Evangelion]

Teppic said:

... but the teams rejected this saying they wanted the space for sponsors logos ...

Further proof if any were needed that F1 started to go downhill the moment the sponsors moved in, and continues to do so.

[KaraK]

Evangelion said:

Teppic said:

... but the teams rejected this saying they wanted the space for sponsors logos ...

Further proof if any were needed that F1 started to go downhill the moment the sponsors moved in, and continues to do so.

Sponsorship can certainly bring downsides such as obviously poor quality drivers getting a drive simply because they "fit" with a certain sponsor (*cough* Maldonado *cough*) but for the most part they are a positive force in motorsport surely? After all, without them the vast majority of motorsport as we know it wouldn't exist - essentially the only teams that would be able to run, not just in F1 but in pretty much any motorsport past club level would be either those with an insanely wealthy private backer doing it just for the love of it and manufacturers - and many of the manufacturers have seemingly found that even with 3rd party sponsorship offsetting at least part of the cost of going racing that it doesn't offer sufficient ROI to be worth doing. And I'll admit I'm no historian but if I remember correctly the FIA pretty much had to allow sponsors into the sport in '68 after the suppliers stopped providing free tyres etc.

[Evangelion]

KaraK said:

Evangelion said:

Teppic said:

... but the teams rejected this saying they wanted the space for sponsors logos ...

Further proof if any were needed that F1 started to go downhill the moment the sponsors moved in, and continues to do so.

Sponsorship can certainly bring downsides such as obviously poor quality drivers getting a drive simply because they "fit" with a certain sponsor (*cough* Maldonado *cough*) but for the most part they are a positive force in motorsport surely? After all, without them the vast majority of motorsport as we know it wouldn't exist - essentially the only teams that would be able to run, not just in F1 but in pretty much any motorsport past club level would be either those with an insanely wealthy private backer doing it just for the love of it and manufacturers - and many of the manufacturers have seemingly found that even with 3rd party sponsorship offsetting at least part of the cost of going racing that it doesn't offer sufficient ROI to be worth doing. And I'll admit I'm no historian but if I remember correctly the FIA pretty much had to allow sponsors into the sport in '68 after the suppliers stopped providing free tyres etc.

I'd rather watch no motorsport than cars with stupid lettering and logos all over them.

[andyps]

Evangelion said:

I'd rather watch no motorsport than cars with stupid lettering and logos all over them.

Presumably you don't watch any motorsport then, I can't think of any form that doesn't have some element of sponsorship and the associated logos!

[KaraK]

Evangelion said:

I'd rather watch no motorsport than cars with stupid lettering and logos all over them.

Well that's your choice I guess..seems a bit extreme to me though!

[Inertiatic]

KaraK said:

Evangelion said:

I'd rather watch no motorsport than cars with stupid lettering and logos all over them.

Well that's your choice I guess..seems a bit extreme to me though!

And its been prevalent since the late 60's. Stable door -----------------> Horse

[Europa1]

Inertiatic said:

KaraK said:

Evangelion said:

I'd rather watch no motorsport than cars with stupid lettering and logos all over them.

Well that's your choice I guess..seems a bit extreme to me though!

And its been prevalent since the late 60's. Stable door -----------------> Horse

Yes, curse Colin Chapman and those vulgar Gold Leaf Lotuses and the poor quality of the racing...