Power Ranking the 2015 Formula 1 Drivers' Helmets
Formula One has seen many iconic helmets throughout its long and distinguished history. The likes of Ayrton Senna, Gilles Villeneuve, Niki Lauda, Mika Hakkinen, Graham Hill and Damon Hill all wore designs that even to this day remain instantly recognisable to fans who saw them in action.
Back then, a driver tended to start off with a helmet and keep the same general look for his whole career. It was easy to tell team-mates apart, and once you'd committed a helmet to memory, you knew it for life.
Then everything changed.
The simple, bold helmets of the past were replaced by fancy, artistic affairs created by professional graphic designers. Some drivers—Sebastian Vettel stands out—changed their helmets almost as often as they changed their underwear.
Very few drivers could be recognised by their helmet alone, and in many cases, it was even difficult to tell team-mates apart.
In an effort to remedy this, the powers that be decreed that each driver is allowed just one helmet design per season. No special occasion helmets, Monaco specials or sponsor celebrations—it has to be the same from the first race to the last.
Here, we look at the helmet each driver is wearing for 2015 and rank them from the least-appealing ("ugly" is too cruel a word) to the most attractive.
Method
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The helmets were studied from all angles and special attention was paid to how unique each is, how visually appealing the colours and layout are, how much the sponsor logos ruin the design and whether the helmet has the potential to be instantly recognisable 20 or 30 years from now if the owner became a huge star.
Beauty is of course in the eye of the beholder, and they're all pretty in their own way, so feel free to give your own top 10s in the comments section below.
Helmet designs in slide images may vary slightly from those currently used. All images used were acquired pre-season and some helmets have undergone minor alterations.
20. Daniil Kvyat
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Like most drivers connected to his team, Daniil Kvyat's helmet is dominated by too many large Red Bull logos and an associated lump of invasive purple.
That can be offset to a degree if the rest of the design is interesting—but sadly, it isn't. It's like Kvyat just gave up trying to show any individuality and let the big bull win...
19. Max Verstappen
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Max Verstappen's driving in 2015 has been exciting and great to watch, but gazing upon his Red Bull-plastered helmet conjures up words like "drab" and "uninspiring." It even looks like it's based on the colours of a Red Bull can.
But Verstappen's career is just nine races old. He has time to develop a more interesting and iconic design.
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18. Roberto Merhi
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Roberto Merhi has spent much of 2015 at the rear of the field, and his eye-catching helmet design puts him close to the back of the skid-lid rankings as well.
It's just too bright—the red and yellow look nice together, but the sickly green colour tips it over the edge. Merhi has used a similar helmet in the past but with some dark blue. It looks so much better.
17. Carlos Sainz Jr.
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Carlos Sainz Jr. can thank his home country's flag for providing him with a couple of bright colours to splash around his helmet, taking a bit of attention away from the four Red Bull logos.
But they're still there, ruining any attempt at creating an individual, unique-looking design.
16. Pastor Maldonado
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Pastor Maldonado has had some interesting helmets in his time, and some of them were quite pretty—or at the very least unique. But his current effort is a bit too in-your-face.
The brighter Venezuelan flag colours don't sit nicely on the darker background, and the green-lined star looks like it's just filling in space. But the top of the helmet is among the most stylish around, so he gets a few points for that.
15. Romain Grosjean
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Romain Grosjean is battling to stand out among a crowd of top-drive hopefuls, but a talent scout with an eye for design wouldn't give him a second glance.
Despite having few sponsors, the helmet looks cluttered, and the various colours don't seem to fit together nicely at all. It's not the ugliest lid on the grid, but it's not far off.
14. Daniel Ricciardo
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Daniel Ricciardo won three races last season, but that wasn't enough for the team to let him have the side of his helmet back. However, the Australian's design almost gets away with it.
The white and lighter shades of blue keep the Red Bull purple away, and the frontal appearance is generally pleasing. And who'd dare to say bad things about that honey badger on the back? It's never going to be iconic, but it deals with the sponsor overload better than the other Red Bull-linked helmets.
13. Lewis Hamilton
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Lewis Hamilton's helmet is one of the most frequently seen on TV broadcasts and is often found sitting on a table prior to a podium ceremony. But he doesn't make the top three here with his slightly messy design.
The "Still I Rise" writing on the rear adds a touch of individuality—it references a Tupac lyric, which in turn is borrowed from a Maya Angelou poem—but the rest just fails to strike the eye in a pleasing way. Not a patch on his old yellow lid.
12. Nico Hulkenberg
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Nico Hulkenberg's helmet is extremely recognisable and comes close to being a textbook example of a simple, beautiful helmet. Hulkenberg has used a similar layout for several years.
But the scribbled edges, while adding a spot of character, detract from the overall, polished look. A great design but poorly executed.
11. Will Stevens
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Will Stevens manages to avoid having an entirely generic-looking helmet with the some nice artwork in the red patches of his design. Manor's lack of sponsors also helps him climb the helmet rankings.
But it still looks a little bit like one of the default helmets you can pick on an F1 game. It doesn't scream "I am Will Stevens' helmet" (unless you read his name on the side of it) quite loudly enough.
10. Kimi Raikkonen
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Kimi Raikkonen has been using red, white and black on his helmets since 2006, and the top of the lid features his personal logo.
It's a nice helmet, and the bits fit together in a pleasing way, but there's no long-term future for the design, and his old blue, red and white look was better.
9. Sergio Perez
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Sergio Perez seems to have had two designs in mind, and instead of choosing one or the other, he ended up slapping them both on his helmet. The silver-and-black, monochromatic front and upper-side sections go nicely with his Force India and could have been his passport to a very unique, stylish lid.
But the rear, top and lower portions of the helmet were treated to a very bright colour scheme, more typical of his past designs. It's hard to decide whether the result is revolting or beautiful.
8. Felipe Nasr
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Felipe Nasr's predominantly red helmet sticks out like a sore thumb when it's bobbing in the placid blue sea that is the Sauber C33. It doesn't quite look right in the car, but considered on its own, it's rather more pleasing on the eye.
The basic red and white patches go well together, and Nasr gives a nod to his Lebanese heritage with his name written in Arabic near the rear. The only downside is it could be described as a little bit dull in the modern age.
7. Felipe Massa
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Felipe Massa's helmet looks a little bit like something an overprotective parent would make their child wear if they were cycling home from school in the dark, but somehow it works.
It's bright, different, you can see him coming a mile away and even the sponsor additions—particularly the Martini stripe—fit in nicely. Massa has used a similar design for a long time, and this layout should be remembered long after he has retired.
6. Fernando Alonso
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Fernando Alonso's 2015 helmet is an evolution of the design he has used for most of his F1 career. The red, yellow and blue colours slot together nicely, and he benefits from McLaren's difficulty in acquiring major sponsors.
He's had better versions in the past, but this one is bright, cheery and still probably the most recognisable helmet in the sport. A very nice effort.
5. Jenson Button
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Jenson Button pays tribute to his two "home" countries with a helmet that isn't too dissimilar to the one he used at the start of his F1 career. The ever-present Union Jack occupies the rear while the red circle on top hints at the Japanese flag.
His initials and name in Japanese go nicely on the sides, as does the Papa Smurf—a tribute to his late father John—on the back. The sponsor logos don't interfere, and while the tattoo-like black dragons would look silly on most helmets, they suit this one.
4. Valtteri Bottas
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Valtteri Bottas hasn't let a string of podiums in 2014 turn him into Mr. Fancy Pants—his solid, simple helmet is almost unchanged from the one he used for his F1 race debut.
The opposite to Williams team-mate Felipe Massa's garish design, the helmet exudes a sense of calm and very much suits the man who wears it. The Martini stripe is a little bit overpowering, but there's nothing wrong with the rest of it.
3. Nico Rosberg
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Nico Rosberg's wife convinced him to ditch his old yellow-dominated lid at the start of 2014, and she did the Mercedes-watching world a favour. The new black design stands out amid a sea of colour and complexity as a simple, beautiful helmet.
The Monster slashes look a bit out of place, but the endless knot on the front is a nice touch, as is the chrome "VI" on each side. Rosberg (or Mrs. Rosberg?) earns a spot on our podium.
2. Sebastian Vettel
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The man of a thousand helmets was forced to settle for one in 2015, and the design he ended up with is among the best he's ever had.
The giant Ferrari plaster on the forehead area isn't pretty, but the off-centre, Germany-flag stripe looks beautiful on the white backing, and the sponsor logos mostly blend in. Overall, a very nice helmet—and if he keeps it from now on, very much one we'll all remember.
1. Marcus Ericsson
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One of the advantages of driving for a team with few sponsors is that they don't adversely impact on helmet design. Marcus Ericsson's is a fine example of a simple, old-school helmet that doesn't try too hard to be "cool"—and it succeeds in being exceptionally beautiful.
It looks nice with all visor types and is one of the few helmets in modern F1 that would be recognisable in 30 years if the owner achieves any kind of success.
Ericsson takes the top spot.
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