APPROXIMATELY 400 helmets have been manufactured in Bahrain for the upcoming race weekend taking place at the Bahrain International Circuit (BIC).
Bahrain-based Bell Racing Helmets will be taking care of the protective headgear for 12 of the 20 Formula 1 drivers, 12 of the 25 Formula 2 racers and 18 of the 31 Formula 3 motorists, in addition to helmet needs for many of the teams’ pit crew members.
“In the last year, we went from manufacturing 23,000 full-sized helmets and 26,000 miniature ones to 34,000 and 40,000 respectively, all from our Bahrain facility,” Aref Yazbek, Bell Racing Helmets’ parent company Racing Force Group’s chief business officer and managing director of Bahrain operations, told the GDN.
“On the F1 grid, we are providing helmets to both the drivers of the Mercedes, Ferrari, Alpine and Williams teams, as well as one driver each from the Haas, McLaren, AlphaTauri and Alfa Romeo teams.”
Seven-time world champion Lewis Hamilton, two-time world champion Fernando Alonso, Ferrari star Charles Leclerc and Bahrain-owned McLaren’s Lando Norris are amongst the most notable names to be donning a ‘Made in Bahrain’ Bell helmet this year.
To cope with the increased production, the company has had to employ an additional 100 members, making for a total crew of 300 working hard to make sure drivers are protected on track.
Last weekend’s pre-season testing in Bahrain offered the teams a chance to get the technical specifications and measurements sorted.
“It has been a significant advantage having the F1 pre-season testing and season-opener in Bahrain, since logistics have become critically difficult, given the Covid-19 pandemic and shifting geopolitics,” Mr Yazbek added.
This year, the company has been even busier since every change in sponsors due to FIA’s sanctions on Russia has sparked a flurry of changes to helmets, which must be completed in time for the race.
When asked about the ‘No War’ campaign by F1 drivers, Mr Yazbek noted that the company does not get involved in politics, and any presence of the insignia on Bell helmets is through after-market stickers attached by the drivers themselves.
Since 2015, Bahrain’s Bell Racing Helmets has been manufacturing the headgear around the corner from the BIC, and last year became part of the leading motorsport safety conglomerate Racing Force Group.
The strategic move has brought them into the same family as Zeronoise, OMP and Racing Spirit, giving the company access to cutting edge equipment and technology as well as a holistic role in the safety of motorsport athletes.
naman@gulfweekly.com
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