Michaël Aumento (Bell) explains to us all the secrets of a Formula 1 helmet

From what moment in motorsports, should one invest in a high-end helmet?

Michaël Aumento: In go-karting, children start at the age of 6. You cannot compete before that. At that moment, it depends on your budget. It can range from a regular helmet at 400€ to a carbon one that costs 1000€. In karting today, there is a new certification called KC7. Whether it’s us or our competitors, we all have to comply with the CIK standard, which is mandatory for racing in karting championships. Once you start competing, whether it’s fiberglass, carbon, kevlar, or any other material, you must have the CIK certification on your helmet, but it depends on your budget. However, it’s clear that when you buy a 400€ helmet compared to a 1000€ helmet, the 1000€ helmet is 10 times more secure because it is entirely made of carbon fiber.

I watch kart championships on social networks, I follow everything that happens and honestly, when you take on a driver, it’s better to truly give them top-of-the-line equipment because they will show that Bell has a good and safe product. So, it’s very important to provide high-end gear to a sponsored driver. For example, I signed a driver two weeks ago, and he will immediately start using a S7 carbon helmet. By doing so, he will have the best equipment for safety, but he will also see what we can do best. A carbon helmet is lighter than a fiberglass helmet, it’s not a huge difference, around 80-100g, but for a 6-year-old kid’s neck, it’s a lot.

Fortunately, all the helmets in competition are CIK approved, whether they are made of fiberglass, carbon, or Kevlar, they all pass the test. But usually, I provide the top of the line, even for a go-kart driver.

In Formula 1, out of the 20 drivers, 14 are equipped by Bell. How can you increase your market share in this sector?

EN: The F1 drivers we have come from lower categories such as F2, F3, F4. Some even started in karting. They either started karting with us or they realized that our product is better than any other. There is also the notion of service [editor’s note: to differentiate ourselves]. The difference with our competitors is that we have a strong service and responsiveness. This means that when a driver needs a modification, we don’t wait for a month. In 3 or 4 days, we have the ability to make the modifications.

How are the helmets adjusted to fit the pilots’ heads?

EN: In F2, F3, F4, they use standard helmets unless someone has a problem or if it’s a driver in a junior team like Mercedes, Alpine… For them, we pamper them a little more and give them the opportunity to have a custom-made helmet.

To create a custom helmet, a 3D scan is performed, allowing for a helmet that fits like a slipper. When you put it on your head, you have no pressure points, and it is comfortable in every way. Typically, an adult’s head doesn’t change after the age of 19, unless you gain weight, which could result in a one or two centimeter difference, but no more.

We do a 3D scan of the head. The entire liner part is custom-made, and then we work with engineers to determine whether to use foam with a thickness of 3mm, 5mm, 6mm, or 9mm, but we can play with all of them. It’s really the foundation that is worked on by the pilot, but it also depends on the pilot’s preferences. When you compress a 6mm foam, it becomes 3… For me, I lean more towards comfort and add a bit more foam so that it is uniform in the liner, interior, and head of the pilot, making it quite comfortable and avoiding any sensations of hardness.

Do you paint all the helmets at Bell?

In terms of custom painting, here in Bahrain, we have 9 people working in the painting workshop, and we have 3 people in Belgium. Some helmets are made here, some are made in Belgium, and there are also some drivers who have their own painters. It depends on the drivers – Hamilton, Russell, Zhou, and Alonso are with us. For all the regular drivers who have been with us for some time, we have always painted their helmets. By doing so, we can better manage the weight of the helmet because the weight of the paint is very important to us. There are some painters who don’t care because they want their helmets to look good, but personally, I prefer to have a helmet with 50g of paint rather than a helmet with 100g of paint. The helmet with 100g of paint won’t provide me with any additional safety, but having an extra 50g on a driver’s head does make a difference.

For a pilot, how many helmets are produced annually?

We have a contract for between 12 and 15 helmets per year. On a GP weekend, we prepare 4 helmets. The rider doesn’t necessarily wear all the helmets. I always come with 2 helmets for rainy conditions. He has a product that removes water…

I am having fun with acronyms, it’s the only means of communication I have if I can’t reach the pilot. He sees what is indicated on the visor if the visor is medium with the color written on it: “medium purple”. Cloudy condition with sun, if I choose a sun background it means the visor is darker.

In Bahrain, for example, I have drivers who either ride with “transparent” visors slightly mirrored between 10% and 15% tint, or drivers who don’t care and have tinted visors at 25%. I don’t have any drivers who ride with black visors, it’s always between 25 and 30%. You are not greatly blinded by the sun on the track. The only time this can happen is in Barcelona and Austin. In Barcelona, towards the end of the day when you go down, the sun hits you on the long straight. In Austin, it’s before the straight turn, the sun goes down and blinds everyone, even with the black visor: it really blinds you.

Note: This year, with the qualifying sessions moved to Friday afternoon, the session ended too early to have the F1 cars racing at sunset.

Does nobody use photochromic visors in F1?

MA: It exists, but the problem with photochromic lenses is the reaction time. For example, in Bahrain, the Grand Prix starts at 6 PM and it’s already dark. A race like Abu Dhabi might still work, because you start during the day and finish at night, but the reaction time is too long to be able to use a visor like that.

Do the drivers reuse their helmets?

MA: There are drivers for special GPs like Miami, Las Vegas, and Monaco where some drivers want special helmets that are used only once. If they want, they can use the same helmet for the entire season. Sometimes, if a driver achieves a good result, they prefer to keep the helmet. I give them 4 helmets for safety, so if I’m not there, they can take another helmet. For example, for the race, I prepare two helmets that are identical, with the vents placed in the same way. In case there is a problem when going to the grid, you have helmet B ready.

What happens to the helmet in case of a pilot’s accident?

Today in F1, we are fortunate to know the G-force of the impact and based on that, we know what to do. If you see during the driver’s crash that he is fine, you still prefer to take him anyway and put him in the workshop to check if anything is compressed… During major impacts, your helmet has absorbed the shock.

Even if the head/helmet doesn’t directly collide with anything?

It depends. For example, take Zhou’s crash last year [note: at Silverstone]. The helmet was completely destroyed. He didn’t even touch the ground, but he experienced an impact, and even though he didn’t suffer a concussion, if he had, it means he experienced a shock. With the halo, a lot has changed, it’s not the same as before from that perspective.

What did Massa’s accident change? In 2008, Massa was hit by a wheel nut on his helmet, causing the Brazilian’s helmet visor to shatter and making him lose consciousness during the race.

MA: For us [the helmet manufacturers], it didn’t change anything. It’s up to the FIA, then, to request a slightly different standard. In practical terms, when Massa had the crash, he was under contract with one of our competitors. The FIA then asked all of us to reinforce the helmets at the visor level. At that time, we were using a piece

In carbon. Today, this part is integrated directly into the helmet shell, so it changes a lot. Also, between the 2008 helmet and the one today, it’s completely different. The thickness of the shell has changed, the visor is 3 cm lower. Now, it measures 11mm thick.

The impact in the event of an accident like this one is that the FIA is performing its analysis work and then declares that now helmet safety is increasing and suppliers must comply with it.

Do you regularly exchange with the FIA?

MA: We have meetings with the FIA, all manufacturers have meetings 3 times a year where we discuss to know which direction we are going to take, what changes will be made.

In the case of a fire, and an accident like Romain Grosjean’s, what has evolved?

ME: Nothing at all, the helmet did its job. It’s the highest-end helmet. They didn’t change the standard. The visor didn’t melt, it withstood the fire. The visor remained intact, only the tear-offs melted because they’re made of plastic, but without any consequences for his face.

The luck we have is that on Romain’s helmet, we use charcoal filters, so it blocks odors/smoke. We use it for carbon brake dust. It’s not meant for fire normally, but it allowed him to not have any breathing problems or flames entering the helmet. Everything made of plastic melted, and strangely enough, it helped block all the air intakes [editor’s note: and therefore protect him].

Romain wanted to be kept here because it saved him, so to speak. When we see that, we feel like we have a good product.

MA: In some teams, it’s the driver who drinks the beverage himself. He has a tube that is integrated into the helmet. As for us, we have an internal pipe where we properly put the drink tube and it’s integrated inside. He holds it in his mouth during the race, either on the side. I put the tube, but if the mechanic doesn’t connect it to the water supply valve when the driver gets in the car, it won’t work.

There are cables and pipes connected in the cockpit once the HANS device is put in place behind the helmet. It takes time, but it’s quick to remove. That’s why we don’t want to attach and fix drink tubes because once they come out, they can’t stay stuck in the seat for 10 seconds because of it. Moreover, some teams have a drinking bottle attached to the steering wheel, connected to a drinking pouch.

And how does the radio system work?

MA: There are 2 systems. First, there’s the radio which is in the helmet, so it’s a microphone installed in the helmet that we connect. Otherwise, you have the microphone in the balaclava with teams like AlphaTauri, Williams, Ferrari. For us, it’s better because a microphone weighs 70-80g. We are completely dependent on them, we don’t provide the microphones, if it needs to be put on, we put it on.

For the camera sometimes installed in the helmet, it’s not me who takes care of it. It’s another department. They won’t handle my helmets and I won’t touch the camera. It’s integrated into the helmet, the camera weighs 2.4g this year.

Is the aerodynamics of a helmet studied for each F1?

Our base remains the same afterwards, certain teams manufacture the rear wing themselves which sticks to the helmet to define the aero input they want on the car. The wing still does something quite important on the helmet part, as it is the central position of the F1. If certain teams manufacture their own helmet wing, I think it’s because it brings them something. Mercedes has developed their wing, Ferrari, Red Bull as well. We provide them with a 3D file and they use it to stick the wing onto it.

How do you handle it if a driver wants to change something at the last second?

MA: At most, it can be done in 4 or 5 days… but most of the drivers who have special helmets for the year have already planned ahead for the entire season. In Bahrain [note: at the beginning of the season], I already have the design for some drivers for Miami, Monaco, Silverstone. You have to. It should be understood that the helmets you paint take between 3 and 6 days to make, and they are not the only ones. We have 14 drivers, so we have to manage all the drivers and all the helmets. I have to send them the week before the GP so that they arrive when I arrive at the GP. When I arrive, I can take 1 or 2 helmets with me, but never 10 or 15.

Who did you recently recruit to come over to Bell’s side?

My job, on the other hand, is to recruit primarily in karting. For example, Noris, I recruited him in karting and he is now with us in F1. It’s a bonus for us.

De Vries, they were using Stilo helmets last year, but he was always with Mercedes so we often spoke together. We had the same planes, hotels, so during the year, you become friends with everyone. You tell him, “listen, it would be good if you try our helmet”. In Brazil, I arrived with my scanner and did the 3D scan for him at the hotel, and in Abu Dhabi, I arrived with a customized helmet for him to try. We were almost signed because it was good. He liked the proactive aspect we have and the relationship. It’s not just a helmet. You have to provide the service and understand the needs of our clients, whether they are F1 drivers or karting.

When I started in F1, I started with 3 drivers and today, we have 14 drivers plus the reserve drivers, which makes about 20. It’s huge. When Nyck de Vries drove with our helmet, he said “wow, it’s the first time I don’t have to worry about turbulence with my helmet” so it’s a good feedback.

Rosberg, the year he changed his helmet, became world champion. He had a fogging problem in Monaco. One day, he called me and said, “I would be interested in trying your helmet, but I would only want to use it for rain.” I told him no, you can use it all the time, not just for rain (we have a helmet that is well-known for rain, and it doesn’t fog up). In Brazil, in the rain, he said to me, “This is the first time I’m driving without thinking that I will have fog in my helmet.” While everyone had fog in their helmets at that Grand Prix. I spoke with Vettel, Verstappen, they all had fog. Rosberg sent us a message saying, “Thank you, if I am world champion, it is also partly because of you.”

We have an anti-fog on the visor that is quite powerful, but there is a specific way to put it on. That’s what our competitors are trying to copy, but they don’t understand.

Today, our competitors who are based in Japan find it very difficult to react because it is far away. The strength we have is also having the most drivers and therefore their feedback. It’s the little things that make you have the best helmet.

We’ll finish with the price, how much does a Formula 1 helmet cost?

MA: The helmet of an F1 driver costs 4,800 euros, while the painting varies between 1,000 and 2,000 euros.