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The kit that F1 drivers wear during grands prix has changed over the years – but what do Lewis Hamilton, Max Verstappen and co actually wear when they go out on track?
Thankfully, long gone are the days of t-shirts, goggles and ‘helmets’ in the loosest sense of the word that F1 drivers used to wear in the early days of the world championship.
It was decided that strapping yourself into a missile, surrounded by fuel without proper protection probably wasn’t the best idea to have – with Sir Jackie Stewart’s crusade of the 1970s playing a big part in kicking F1’s safety standards somewhat in the right direction.
These days, F1 drivers are fully protected by what they wear during grands prix with each bit of their kit coming together under strict FIA safety standards.
But what makes up the kit that F1 drivers must wear every time they go out on track?
We need an example to look at what F1 drivers wear in races and how it protects them. Luckily, someone fits that bill.
In his fiery crash at the 2020 Bahrain Grand Prix, all of Grosjean’s kit came together to save his life from his helmet right down to the underwear he had on….
Everything an F1 driver wears when driving a grand prix car from the head down is made of nomex and is fireproof.
A driver wears nomex socks, pants and a long-sleeved shirt which is branded with all their sponsors.
It is this you might sometimes see when a driver has their race suit undone.
The suit itself is subjected to a 1000c heat test before it is cleared for use – and must protect the wearer for 12 seconds. Grosjean was trapped in his burning Haas for 28 seconds.
A driver will also wear fireproof boots – and if you are Daniel Ricciardo and get a podium – you’ll probably end up drinking out of it too…
The gloves that F1 drivers wear during grands prix are fitted with bio-metrics.
A sensor in the palm transmits data back to medical personnel at all times – with the gloves themselves also fireproof.
Moving on up, we get to the head.
A driver will fit one final piece of nomex to wear – their balaclava.
On top of that is the helmet – which is ballistically tested before it gets anywhere near an F1 track.
In order to protect the head of the driver even further from big flying debris such as tyres – the halo was introduced in 2018 as further cockpit head protection.
The final bit of kit that F1 drivers wear on grand prix weekends is the HANS device.
It rests over the shoulders and clips onto the back of the helmet to restrain the driver’s head and neck.
The Head and Neck Support system was made mandatory in 2003 and prevents the head snapping forward in case of a big accident.
The HANS device can prevent Basilar Skull Fractures – which claimed the life of Roland Ratzenberger at the 1994 San Marino Grand Prix.
NASCAR icon Dale Earnhardt Sr was also killed when his head snapped forward in his last lap crash at the 2001 Daytona 500 and hit the steering wheel.
Had he been wearing a HANS device, his head would have been restrained as his #3 car impacted the wall.
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