More Helmet chat: aero aids? More significant...

[darcym]

seems that Mark Webber has switched from schuberth back to Arai in RBR testing.

I wonder if this is becoming more of a factor now with more importance on areo.

Williams - Both drivers used Schuberth last year - be interesting to see what happens this year.

RBR both used arai last year - webber joins and switches from Schuberth (both used at williams) to Arai

Ferrari - All use schuberth - there used to be a combo of schumacher bell, irvine / badoer bieffe Rubens arai, both rubens and badoer switched to schuberth with just after schumacher.

Honda - a mixed team, Rubens Arai, button Bell the fact that Rubens moved back to Arai from schubeth after ferrari suggests this change was enforced by either marketing or development requirments.

Toyota - mixed with Ralph's schuberth and Trulli's Sparco so nothing to chat about here.

RBR - all using Arai, but as far as I'm aware always have done.

Renault, Truli used to use bieffe but swapped to bell when button joined with his bell, now both drivers use arai. When JV joined - he came back with his bell - so probably no "team" decision on that as alonso was using Arai.

Mclaren Mikia swapped from arai (same as coulthard) to bell for his last season but then the team has been dual arai ever since.

BMW - another mixed Arai/schuberth team - so probably no team requirments there

I wonder how much of these changes are drivers choice (eg: I know it was webbers choice to swap schuberth when he went to williams) and how much the team enforces for eithe comercial or car development and design needs.

Just a thought.

[FPV GTHO]

If there was a link, i would think its commercial more than anything. Any aero benefits would be minor i'd assume, and would also depend on the height of the drivers in question. Guys like Webber and Wurz i guess would sit a little higher than some others, if thats not a major issue on the aero, i doubt the exact branding of the helmets would be either.

[Roddas123]

Interestingly I read on F1racing.net that it was Adrian Newey that asked him to try out the helmet.....

Or is this just a pre-season spin story to get the other teams thinking?

[darcym]

interesting comments on newy.

The reason I raise it was if you remember 1996 the start of the year Ferrari drivers had to lean their heads to the left to get air into the air box on the straight, until Bell made a modification on Schumcachers bell that helped air get into the airbox, which also results in Irvines Bieffe F1 getting an aero tweak which was later revised into the F1GP bieffe helmet. (although the revision did other things like a a lip for helmet stability).

There was in 2001 (I think) a new bieffe that fisco used with jordan to try an aid aero - which he then swapped to arai any how.

There has also been many gurni flaps installed on helmets (look at Irvines last Jaguar races with the bieffe predator - thats got to black gurney strips on the side which was custom for jaguar to help deflect air)

These are just off the top of my head (rememebr also schuimachers Flat back helmet) so that part of the reason I wonder if there is more in it than just branding.

[strider]

I'd like to think that safety came into it somewhere, but I suspect that it's all down to aero and the size of the wedge that someone (team or driver) gets paid.

[Boro]

Nico's Schuberth is different from Mark's Schuberth

[darcym]

webbers changed early on in the season to include a chin "lip" which makes it look the same as nico's to me

[safc_fan89]

As long as they don't sprout winglets I'm not too bothered.

[alonso11]

Originally Posted by FPV GTHO

. Any aero benefits would be minor i'd assume, .

I think it was back in 2000 or 2001 when Schumi got his brand-new and one of a kind Schuberth helmet (as the season went on the company made more of the helmet and started to supply his brother Ralf with it and eventually so did they to the whole German F1 contingent)

Anyway, German RTL did a little behind the scene on it, turned out that the new (and at that time nur-für-Schumi) helmet was so aero-effective that it freed up about 5 HP of the engines capacity.

[Rushy]

For me the arai's are the best looking helmet out ther...have you seen kimi's new helmet...Absolutley Terrible...The arai have a wing on the back for aerodynamics i think

[Marbot]

Originally Posted by safc_fan89

As long as they don't sprout winglets I'm not too bothered.

Think along the lines of Mclarens "Darth Vader" engine cover wings,and you'll not be far wrong.

[darcym]

ok,

I am now wondering if there is perhaps something in this.

Wurtz has now swapped to the same schuberth helmet as Nico - surly it must be easier for a team to develop air flow around one air guiding helmet.....but then again test drivers are still wearing Arai

[andy_b]

the teams (well 2 I know of) have full CAD data for the helmets used by their drivers. Makes sense really when you think about it. They spend millions making the car aerodynamic and balanced....why wouldnt they spend some time on this spherical object that stuck out the car I'm sure they put pressure on drivers, no different how most teams insist on a brand of racesuit

[Rushy]

there must not be too much in difference between the arai and this...

[darcym]

they are totally different shapes, sizes, weights, they have a different layout of additional "bits" that must change the direction of air flow.