OP’s new season helmet design has been launched but what is the process behind a new look lid? Here we take a look at the multiple stages involved.
- First discussions around Oscar’s ’24 season helmet took place around the Las Vegas GP last year. That is pretty early in the grander scheme of things but post-season, Oscar was heading back to Australia and was also having three teeth pulled out. For specials, he usually starts having a think 8-10 weeks beforehand
- It began with a video call with Oscar’s helmet designer, Miles, from MDM Designs. Oscar picked out the sections that he wanted to keep from ‘23 and the bits he wanted to change. Season designs tend to be personal for drivers so often it’s just small tweaks. For specials, things can get a bit more arty. After Vegas and Abu Dhabi, Miles sent Oscar three or four concepts to have a look at via WhatsApp. Oscar receives 360-degree mock-ups of each concept to allow him to see what works. Around mid-December, Miles and Oscar settled on a new base design for the year
- New partner logos from the team were then integrated and all the exact colour codes agreed. Some of the logos are painted, others applied by sticker, depending on if they are due to change for different races in different markets.
- All the finalised design files were sent to Oscar’s helmet painter, Val, who runs BS Designs in France. These reached him just before Christmas ready for him to make a start on painting in the New Year
- McLaren asked for OP’s first two race helmets to be delivered to MTC for January 18th so it was a quick turnaround. Each helmet takes several days to be completed
- Once the shells were painted, they were then sent to Bell to be assembled and race prepped so that they are ready to be worn in the car (adding spoilers etc…)
- The helmets arrived in Woking via express delivery with a few days to spare. From there, they will either be included in the freight or hand carried out to grands prix.
- McLaren has an internal team that helps the drivers coordinate the helmets throughout the season, making sure Oscar has three per grand prix, in case of damage or changeable conditions. Bell also has a team that assists with prep.
If you like the look of Oscar’s new 2024 lid, check out the 1:2 scale replica that’s out now on pre-order.
