New super-helmet is custom made for Räikkönen
Kimi Räikkönen moved to Bell’s helmet camp when the new season began.
Last year Kimi was a user of Arai’s helmets and he used Schuberth’s helmets during his Ferrari-times.
In F1 11 drivers are in Arai’s camp, 6 drivers are in Bell’s camp and 5 drivers are in Schuberth’s camp.
Räikkönen is clearly the most successful of Bell’s users. Other users are Romain Grosjean, Pastor Maldonado, Esteban Gutierrez, Daniel Ricciardo and Jean-Eric Vergne.
The CEO in Bell’s Asian and African actitivities, Martine Kindt, praised Räikkönen’s significance to their Bell-company to Turun Sanomat.
– We have worked together with stars like Senna, Prost, Berger, Fittipaldi, Schumacher, Button and Villeneuve. They were all very special drivers, but we have Kimi here and now. He is very important to us, he is a world champion and he believes in us and we want to thank him by doing our very best for him. Hopefully this leads to new victories and a championship, Kindt emphasizes.
Small-talk has no effect on Räikkönen
A switch from one camp to another wasn’t really in Räikkönen’s plans after last season.
– Kimi felt that the relationship with the earlier helmet company was good and he wasn’t especially interested in us. It took it’s time before he decided to check out what we have to offer. In December he told us that he wants to try our helmet.
– For us it was clear that he wouldn’t commit into anything unless he would be immediately completely satisfied with the feeling that our helmet gives him. We knew that we had to assure him the best way possible in a very short time. Kimi knows exactly what he wants, he is very accurate and technically he is very sharp. He sets his own quality requirements and it was up to us to meet them in order for him to be satisfied.
– You can’t do any small-talk with Kimi, everything has to be clear and concrete, Kindt reminds.
Lightest helmet is made of the newest material
The new superhelmet is completely custom made to fit Räikkönen’s head.
– We started the work by taking a three-dimensional X-ray of his skull. This way we could shape the helmet to fit his head in the best way and thoroughly optimize the comfort of usage according to FIA

– We made the contract with Kimi just as we were finishing our latest HP7-model which is designed by a very innovative research- and development-program with an avant-garde technology.
In that development work we also concentrated on reducing the weight. As a result we have the lightest racing helmet on the market: Räikkönen’s helmet with the HANS- head restraint’s anchors and visor panel weighs only 1,470 kg.
– Because of the G-powers the helmet’s weight is extremely important for the F1-drivers. This is why we aim to lessen the weight on a regular basis – especially because of the new regulations from FIA. It’s not simple, it takes a lot of research and funding to research new materials and new production methods, Kindt clarifies.
The greatest feeling from the opening victory
A year ago Bell celebrated together with Pastor Maldonado his GP-victory in Barcelona, this season they got immediately a bull’s eye in the opening race in Australia when Räikkönen hit the jackpot.
– Kimi’s victory meant something very special and big to us. Since our co-operation started in such an awesome way it was a very emotional moment for us. Everyone had worked so hard for it – Kimi, our engineers – and his helmet painter Uffe Tägtström, Kindt glows.
http://www.racingnerds.com/?p=2002
Comment