DECISION TIME

 

Timo Glock will have a new helmet design for the German Grand Prix – but until the British Grand Prix weekend he had no idea what it would look like.

Team sponsor Panasonic ran a competition in Germany, as part of the ‘Panasonic Kids School’ programme, for school children under the age of 12 to design the helmet which Timo will wear for his home Grand Prix at the Nürburgring.

Panasonic have run similar projects in the past for the Japanese Grand Prix, with local children modifying the helmet of Jarno Trulli but this time it was Timo’s turn.

A total of 177 entries were received and the best were taken to the Silverstone paddock for Timo to study and, after careful consideration, he settled on his favourite.

He said: “It was quite difficult because there were a lot of pictures and a lot of nice ideas. The main reason I chose this design is that it was done by a little kid who is only six years old and the drawing showed some fans cheering me on as I drive which is cool. I had to spend a long time to find the right one.”

The lucky winner will present the completed helmet to Timo at the Nürburgring, where he will be enjoying VIP treatment as a special guest of Panasonic Toyota Racing.

He will also get a replica of the helmet and might even find good use for it, as Timo said: “Maybe he can take up karting so he can use it!”

SAYONARA SILVERSTONE

The 2009 British Grand Prix marked the final Formula 1 race for the foreseeable future at Silverstone, the place where the World Championship began back in 1950.

Panasonic Toyota Racing has competed in eight British Grands Prix and achieved a small piece of history at Silverstone in 2003 when Cristiano da Matta led Toyota’s first laps in Formula 1.

The 2009 British Grand Prix marked a minor milestone for Toyota at Silverstone, with the team passing the 4,000-lap mark at the famous old airfield, including laps from 26 test days and eight race weekends there since 2001.

For various reasons, Silverstone had not been a happy hunting ground for Panasonic Toyota Racing in terms of results. Prior to the 2009 race, the team had finished in the points four times with a best result of seventh, achieved by Jarno last year and Cristiano da Matta in 2003.

Qualifying at Silverstone, however, has historically seen strong performances from Toyota with 2008 being the only time the team has not qualified in the top 10. Jarno recorded the best starting spot with his fourth place in 2005 and repeated the feat this year before equalling the team’s best race result.

CHECK, CHECK, CHECK

 

As the most high-tech form of motorsport in the world, the technical regulations which govern Formula 1 are naturally quite complex.

Some issues, such as the diffuser this year, have been discussed publicly at length but many others are rarely mentioned away from the confines of engineering or scrutineering environments.

Take article 15.2.1 for example, which is an important safety feature to protect a drivers head if his car rolls over during an accident.

The wording of the regulation says: “All cars must have two roll structures which are designed to help prevent injury to the driver in the event of the car becoming inverted.

“The principal structure must be at least 940mm above the reference plane at a point 30mm behind the cockpit entry template. The second structure must be in front of the steering wheel but no more than 250mm forward of the top of the steering wheel rim in any position. “The two roll structures must be of sufficient height to ensure the driver's helmet and his steering wheel are at least 70mm and 50mm respectively below a line drawn between their highest points at all times.”

In simple terms this means the bodywork of the car must keep the driver’s head out of contact with the ground when the car is upside down. A standard check was carried out in the Silverstone garage on Friday to confirm the TF109s matched this requirement, and as clearly seen in this photo, they passed with flying colours.