A power button, a spoiler, and plenty of bright colours: Caldwell's helmet design explained

We take you behind the visor with PREMA race-winner, Olli Caldwell, who discusses the design of his helmet and delves into the backstory of where it all began.

The Briton explains why it features a power button and a spoiler, shows off its bright colour scheme and discusses the British theme.

“My first helmet was pretty terrible, if I remember correctly,” said Caldwell. “I basically just drew a load of lines on a piece of paper and added some colours and that was it. It wasn't very good, although I had it for a few years. It got slightly better with revisions made, somehow the designer took what I drew and made it into something.

“After that, we came up with this design, which is my current helmet. I have stuck with the same design now since karting, it’s been the same basic design since around 2014, bar a few revisions. I am very happy with the design at the moment and I don’t really want to change it. Most people say to me that it stands out a lot, and if that’s true, then why would I want to change that?

“The flag on the top, the Union Jack, that is where I am from, so it is pretty self-explanatory. I have got blue at the bottom, which was originally meant for when it rained, because I would have one with blue on and then another helmet that had a brighter colour, but I felt that the blue mixed in better with the green and the red, so I kept it.

“Colour wise, I honestly just chose them because they are bright and colourful. Some helmets can be very dark, with a glitter affect, whereas I chose to go without a glitter affect, using bright colours that really stand out.

“I am not very artistic, so I had a very difficult time trying to think of a design. I had a lot of help from my designers, MDM Designs, who do few helmets in F1 as well, like George Russell.

“To me, it seems like a lot of people have these very blocky designs and I wanted something where the colours and everything really flowed into each other. At the front, the colours really flow and intertwine with each other and they overlap. The same at the back, where the colours come in and around each other. That was one of the main things that I wanted from my helmet, to make sure that the design flowed well.

“On the side, there is a little power button, so I feel like when I put the helmet on, I am switched on to drive fast. I used to have a watch face in there, which was originally for a watch sponsor that I had. I am no longer with them but that is still there if another watch company wants to come on board. The black is not actually black, it is a carbon finish, which I think works well with cars.

“My helmets are provided by Stilo, who have given me a few over the years now. They have done a white interior with little Union Jacks on this year, which is awesome. Massive thanks to them for providing me with the helmets and support for the year.

“Other small things that people may notice include the spoiler on the front and the back. I bring that up because if you go and watch Callum Ilott's on-board from Portimao, you can see why spoilers make a difference.

“The helmet is the last thing that I put on before I get into the car. Once the earplugs are in and the helmet is on, with the soundproofing that is inside of it, you go into a world of your own. You strap into the car and you are focused on driving.”