Bell Racing, one of a few suppliers of FIA standard helmets to Formula One drivers, has created a new visor in a bid to avoid injuries like that of Felipe Massa in 2009.
The Ferrari driver was struck by a spring which worked its way loose from the Brawn GP car of Rubens Barrichello, of which Massa was following during qualifying two in Hungary.
The spring broke the top of the visor, striking the Brazilian above the eye, knocking him unconscious which led to him hitting a tyre barrier head-on.
The FIA setup an institute in order to find various ways of avoiding such an accident in the future. Bell Racing presented their idea to the FIA. After a series of tests, the visor was approved and tested by several drivers, including; Vitaly Petrov, Sebastian Buemi and Sergio Perez.
The visor is now a recommended safety item by the FIA, with it likely to become standard in the near future.
It is constructed using the same material, aramid fibre, used to create ballistic grade body armour, bonded through extreme heat using an autoclave, then it is covered with a skin of carbon fibre and weighs just 66 grams.
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