The FIA's Michael Masi has said the governing body may look at relaxing the 'one change per season' helmet rule after Daniil Kvyat was told he couldn't run a one-off design at his home race; the Russian Grand Prix.
Kvyat had requested to run a primarily white helmet last weekend, but the FIA refused his request, claiming he had already run a special design at the Italian GP and had therefore used his one 'joker', which is permitted under the rules.
Masi explained the reasoning behind that decision: "The team asked me if the design was, in my view, substantially similar, which I believe is the wording in the regulations. No it’s not, and that’s where from my end, that’s what the regulation said when the question was asked."
When asked about Max Verstappen's helmet changes this season, which has seen the Red Bull driver use three different designs, Masi claimed they were considered to be similar, with only the colour changing, not the design itself.
The rule was introduced to help fans and commentators identify drivers, but with the introduction of the halo – which blocks the view of the driver – plus the introduction of larger driver numbers on the cars, some believe the helmet rule is unnecessary and Masi admitted they would look into whether it could be relaxed in the future.
"I said to the drivers on Friday night, yes it’s something we will look at, but there are a number of inputs. It is not just the FIA, it’s the F1 Group, we’ve also got you guys [written media], broadcast media, and it’s funny talking to some of the commentators about it. They said the reason why it was there was because of us, when we’re looking down, we know who is in the car.
"There was various reasons why it was brought it [but] we discussed it on Friday night, and said let’s have a look at it. It would require a regulation change, is the simple part."
Masi also admitted that some drivers and teams don't even approach the FIA for permission, but the matter has never reached the stewards and therefore no precedent has been set over what penalty might be applied for breaking the rule.
