After Schuberth entered Formula 1 in 2000 it set standards - both in terms of load capacity and in terms of ventilation and wear comfort. Schuberth's safety initiative has consequently led to new and more stringent standards at the Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile (FIA). Well over 50 victories make the helmets from Schuberth the most successful head protection in Formula 1 in recent years.

Schuberth's specialists spend around 3,000 working hours to develop a Formula 1 helmet. One particular focus here is on the development of carbon fibres, a material which could only be used for producing Formula 1 helmets thanks to the know-how of the Schuberth specialists.

Today's state of the art is represented by the carbon fibre T 1000, which is currently the most impact-resistant carbon fibre in the world. Millions of extremely small threads, interwoven from 80 to 120 cloths, form a layer which provides the basic structure of the helmet shell. The helmet which Felipe Massa was wearing when he had his accident in Hungary on 25 July 2009 contained 18 of these carbon fibre layers.

After the driver's head has been scanned by a computer, the helmet's inner lining is customised with millimetre precision. Only then is the tailored outer carbon-fibre shell mounted. As a result the head protection is smaller and lighter. This benefits the aerodynamics and ensures the RF1 weighs less than 1.3 kilograms.

In addition, the RF1's special paint is also fire-resistant: After flame impingement by a burner at a temperature of 900° Celsius for 45 seconds and from a distance of just 5 centimetres, the internal temperature of the helmet remains under 70° Celsius.

Protection and safety – also a question of comfort. The helmet supports the driver not only when accidents occur: it also prevents them. It incorporates a special acoustic collar to keep noise stress as low as possible. A muffled engine hum of less than 100 decibels reaches the driver's ear, although just an arm's length away an eight-cylinder engine operating at up to 19,000 rps is roaring behind him.

In view of the enormous centrifugal forces which are encountered, the weight also plays an exceptionally important role. Merely when braking the neck muscles are on occasions subjected to six times the force of gravity. Seen over the entire race, even the six grams which the chinstrap lock made of titanium weighs less than the steel version provide considerable relief.

The visor consists of a four millimetre thick polycarbonate disk which must be able to withstand being bombarded with particles travelling at a speed of 500 kilometres per hour. For humid weather the Schuberth engineers presented their drivers with a heatable visor in 2008 – at the time a world first which also aroused the interest of other Formula 1 drivers after the notorious rain-affected race at Silverstone.

From the beginning to the end, production of a Formula 1 helmet is precision work which is tailored perfectly to the driver concerned. In a total of around 12 different steps, using some 80 parts, each helmet is made by hand - and each one is unique!