The color schemes featured on the crash helmets of race car drivers are one of the best ways to recognize them when they're out on the circuit. The designs seen on the helmets of the most successful drivers have become classics.
Painting helmets became far more popular in the '70s, especially with the introduction of full-face crash helmets. Before that, drivers used to wear plain, generally unpainted, crash helmets that offered very limited protection.
Nowadays, fans might even find some F1 drivers' helmets a little too conservative in unsophisticated, solid colors. In fact, it's an unwritten rule that bike racers' helmet designs are infinitely more imaginative than their four-wheeled cousins. Yet, on the other hand, sometimes they bikers take it a bit too far!
Here's our Top 10 list of the most legendary helmet designs featured on F1 drivers' headgear.
10 Jackie Stewart
Scottish Jackie Stewart, world champion in 1969-1971-1973. His white Bell helmet carried a simple strip of Scottish tartan.
9 Emerson Fittipaldi
Brazilian Emerson Fittipaldi, world champion in 1972-1974. His blue and orange helmet was designed by Sid Mosca who became one of the world's most respected helmet painter.
8 Michael Schumacher
German Michael Schumacher, world champion in 1994-1995, and from 2000 to 2004. Schumacher was good at changing his design. We chose the original paint job that showed the colors of the German flag.
7 James Hunt
Briton James Hunt, world champion in 1976. Master James was one of the rare drivers to wear a black glossy helmet.
6 Nelson Piquet
Brazilian Nelson Piquet, world champion in 1981-1983-1987. His helmet design basically remained unchanged and carried a distinctive rain drop on the sides.
5 Niki Lauda
Austrian Niki Lauda, world champion in 1975-1977-1984. Niki's helmet design was very simple – orange with the logo of his aviation company, Lauda Air.
4 Alain Prost
Frenchman Alain Prost, world champion in 1985-1986-1989-1993. The Professeur had this helmet painted to the colors of the French flag.
3 Gilles Villeneuve
Canadian Gilles Villeneuve, never clinched the world title. Jacques' father had this very unique dark blue and orange helmet that sported the letter “V” at the back.
2 Nigel Mansell
Briton Nigel Mansell, world champion in 1992. Nigel always had this helmet design that artistically reproduced the Union Jack.
1 Ayrton Senna
Brazilian Ayrton Senna, world champion in 1988-1990-1991. Whatever the team's sponsor, Senna never changed his helmet design. His yellow helmet is still recognized throughout the world.