Image courtesy of Scuderia Ferrari
Mid-season helmet changes have officially been banned by the FIA, following proposals to limit Formula 1 drivers to a single helmet design per season.
The ban has come about after concerns towards the fans being unable to identify the driver due to the numerous amount of helmets in use.
The new ruling means that special one-off helmet designs, usually seen at home events or ‘jewel in the crown’ races such as Monaco, will no longer be seen in the sport.
The sporting regulations have been altered to accommodate the new rule.
“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,”
As well as the new regulation on helmet changes, the FIA has also clarified the rules on driver numbers, following some confusion over what happens to a driver number after they leave Formula 1.
Introduced at the start of the 2014 season, drivers have the ability to select a number between 2 and 99 to keep for the duration of their career in the top echelon.
The revised version of the regulations now states that “a driver’s career in Formula 1 will be deemed to have ended if he does not participate in an event for two entire consecutive Championship seasons”, after which time the number becomes a free choice again.
