Felipe Nasr will pay tribute to three greats of Italian motor racing with a special helmet for this weekend’s race at Monza.
Nasr’s helmet incorporates photographs of Michele Alboreto, Elio de Angelis, Alberto Ascari and Tazio Nuvolari.
Nuvolari was a great of pre-war motor sport who won many of the great European grands prix for teams such as Alfa Romeo, Ferrari and Auto Union. Ascari was a two-times world champion who died in a crash at Monza in 1955, at the corner which is now named after him.
Alboreto won five F1 races and finished runner-up in the 1985 world championship for Ferrari. He died in 2001 after a high-speed crash at the Lausitzring while testing an Audi sports prototype racing car. De Angelis, another Italian race-winner in the eighties, died in a crash at Paul Ricard in 1986.
Nasr has close connections to Italy, having moved there when he began racing in Europe in 2009. His helmets are manufactured by Italian brand Stilo.
The design also bears the names of parts of the Monza track including Parabolica, Lesmo, Roggia, Serraglio and Biassono.
Formula One drivers were banned from changing their helmet designs during the season last year, but from this season have been allowed one exception to the ban.
Picture: Stilo helmets via Intagram
WilliamB (@william-brierty)
1st September 2016, 9:56
On a slightly different note, rumours of this man going to Williams are not going away. I would welcome such a move because on occasion he has shown excellent potential, but also his exit from Sauber would free up a seat for Charles Leclerc – albeit the emerging Monegasque superstar could be Haas-bound regardless. Elsewhere, 2017 is shaping up to be a vintage year for driver quality, with young-guns Vandoorne, Ocon and Wehrlein all linked with strong seats, and the name “Lance Stroll” has even popped up in the paddock rumour mill.
leonGTV6 (@leongtv6)
1st September 2016, 9:57
There’s also a photo of de Angelis.
Keith Collantine (@keithcollantine)
1st September 2016, 10:05
Thanks I hadn’t spotted that smaller one – have added a line on him.
Leo B
1st September 2016, 10:41
Starting on the left side, going counterclockwise:
Tazio Nuvolari, Elio de Angelis, Giuseppe ‘Nino’ Farina, Alberto Ascari, Michele Alboreto.
lubhz (@lubhz)
1st September 2016, 11:44
Well spotted Nino Farina at the back Leo B! @keithcollantine
matt90
2nd September 2016, 0:01
Farina is fairly prominent!
sato113 (@sato113)
1st September 2016, 10:09
Hmmm so who has used their one exception in terms of helmet design change?
I know Vettel had a greeny helmet at Spa (right?)
PorscheF1 (@xtwl)
1st September 2016, 10:27
@sato113 Vettel hasn’t been using completely different designs but has been using many variations throughout the past two seasons. Still one of the most stupid rules of the entire circus.
GeeMac (@geemac)
1st September 2016, 11:57
Yeah, you have to pay attention, but he has 5/6 different designs which he swaps from race to race, sometimes even from session to session. There was a graphic I saw a while ago with all of them, including a rundown on when each was used, but I can’t for the life of me find it again.
Mr Anderson
1st September 2016, 12:02
What, no Nicola Larini?
Marco Freire (@mfreire)
1st September 2016, 16:59
I think the helmet design was only for Italians who won Grand Prix’s.
banana88x (@banana88x)
1st September 2016, 20:37
Then it´s missing Giancarlo Fisichella ;)
TED BELL
1st September 2016, 15:38
Nice idea and well executed. Very cool looking helmet and i give him high marks.
Now we need a proper celebration done in this fashion to honor the greatest F1 driver Michael Schumacher.
Marco Freire (@mfreire)
1st September 2016, 16:57
Keith- Enzo Ferrari did not start building his own cars until 1947. Nuvolari won races for Scuderia Ferrari when they ran factory backed Alfa Romeo cars in the 1930’s.