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Suited, light and safe
An F1 driver's race gear must protect him and be light enough to have minimal effect on the car's speed. Let find out what goes into Mercedes driver Lewis Hamilton's gear
RACING SUIT
• Beneath the suit, the driver also wears fireproof underwear and a balaclava.
• The suit is 3mm thick and weighs about 180g, depending on the size of the driver.
• A fire (of about 60 deg C) can burn on the suit for 11 seconds before the driver suffers from second-degree burns.
• Each driver has six suits per race, changing after each session.
• The suit is made up of three layers which factor in fire resistance, lightness and breathability. The layers are made mainly with Aramid - a heat-resistant, synthetic material often used to make body armours in the aerospace and military industries.
• The outermost layer is made up of Puma L&G and Ripstop fabrics. The L&G fabric is made of Nomex and Carbon, making it extremely light and fire-resistant. The Ripstop fabric gives the suit breathability without compromising on fire resistance.
• The middle and innermost layers consists of Nomex felt, which was developed by DuPont in the 1960s, and is a highly-effective protective barrier against flames.
RACING SUIT MATERIAL
• Nomex is a synthetic fibre made of individual woven fibres that create millions of tiny air pockets. It is highly resistant to heat, gases and acids.
HANS
• The Head and Neck Support (Hans) system is a carbon fibre shoulder collar connected to the driver's helmet and safety belts. In the event of an accident, Hans prevents the driver's head from hitting the steering wheel.
RACE BOOTS
• The boots weigh about 150g and have no plastic or metal parts in contact with the skin.
• It has extremely thin soles so the driver has a better feel of the car pedals. Despite being thin, the soles are extremely fire-resistant.
• Unlike normal shoes, the soles of race boots do not have any tread and are completely flat.
HELMET
• It is made of weaved carbon fibre which is strong and lightweight. The shell of the helmet has high flexibility which allows it to flex on impact and not impact or shatter.
• The helmet is subjected to extreme deformation and fragmentation tests before being passed fit to use.
• The interior of the helmet has two small air intakes to provide cool air.
• The 2.5cm-thick visor has an extra strip of carbon fibre/zylon above it to prevent flying objects from cracking the visor and injuring the eyes. The carbon fibre is just 5cm thick.
• Weighs about 1.25kg.
GLOVES
• The Puma gloves are made to withstand 41 deg C of heat for up to eight seconds on the palm and 11 seconds on the back of it.
• The palm side of the gloves is also made with rubber to give the driver greater sensitivity while steering.
THE RACER
English racer Lewis Carl Hamilton, 28, debuted in the 2007 season driving for McLaren, but missed out on being crowned champion by one point.
He subsequently won the 2008 Formula One World Championship.
Hamilton left McLaren for Mercedes last year and has signed a three-year contract with the Mercedes AMG Petronas team.
SOURCE: MERCEDES AMG PETRONAS, FORMULA ONE
An F1 driver's race gear must protect him and be light enough to have minimal effect on the car's speed. Let find out what goes into Mercedes driver Lewis Hamilton's gear
RACING SUIT
• Beneath the suit, the driver also wears fireproof underwear and a balaclava.
• The suit is 3mm thick and weighs about 180g, depending on the size of the driver.
• A fire (of about 60 deg C) can burn on the suit for 11 seconds before the driver suffers from second-degree burns.
• Each driver has six suits per race, changing after each session.
• The suit is made up of three layers which factor in fire resistance, lightness and breathability. The layers are made mainly with Aramid - a heat-resistant, synthetic material often used to make body armours in the aerospace and military industries.
• The outermost layer is made up of Puma L&G and Ripstop fabrics. The L&G fabric is made of Nomex and Carbon, making it extremely light and fire-resistant. The Ripstop fabric gives the suit breathability without compromising on fire resistance.
• The middle and innermost layers consists of Nomex felt, which was developed by DuPont in the 1960s, and is a highly-effective protective barrier against flames.
RACING SUIT MATERIAL
• Nomex is a synthetic fibre made of individual woven fibres that create millions of tiny air pockets. It is highly resistant to heat, gases and acids.
HANS
• The Head and Neck Support (Hans) system is a carbon fibre shoulder collar connected to the driver's helmet and safety belts. In the event of an accident, Hans prevents the driver's head from hitting the steering wheel.
RACE BOOTS
• The boots weigh about 150g and have no plastic or metal parts in contact with the skin.
• It has extremely thin soles so the driver has a better feel of the car pedals. Despite being thin, the soles are extremely fire-resistant.
• Unlike normal shoes, the soles of race boots do not have any tread and are completely flat.
HELMET
• It is made of weaved carbon fibre which is strong and lightweight. The shell of the helmet has high flexibility which allows it to flex on impact and not impact or shatter.
• The helmet is subjected to extreme deformation and fragmentation tests before being passed fit to use.
• The interior of the helmet has two small air intakes to provide cool air.
• The 2.5cm-thick visor has an extra strip of carbon fibre/zylon above it to prevent flying objects from cracking the visor and injuring the eyes. The carbon fibre is just 5cm thick.
• Weighs about 1.25kg.
GLOVES
• The Puma gloves are made to withstand 41 deg C of heat for up to eight seconds on the palm and 11 seconds on the back of it.
• The palm side of the gloves is also made with rubber to give the driver greater sensitivity while steering.
THE RACER
English racer Lewis Carl Hamilton, 28, debuted in the 2007 season driving for McLaren, but missed out on being crowned champion by one point.
He subsequently won the 2008 Formula One World Championship.
Hamilton left McLaren for Mercedes last year and has signed a three-year contract with the Mercedes AMG Petronas team.
SOURCE: MERCEDES AMG PETRONAS, FORMULA ONE
