Jenson Button changes helmet design

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Jenson Button's new helmet design (click to enlarge)

Jenson Button has changed his helmet design for his first race with Brawn GP.

He’s dropped his usual Union Flag design for one that incorporates the lurid yellow colours of the Brawn team.

Button has dabbled with different helmet styles in the past but usually stuck to a patriotic theme. He donned a red and white St. George’s cross-style helmet in 2004 during the football World Cup.

Brawn has also announced a new sponsorship deal with Henri Lloyd, who’s logos will appear on the previously sponsor-less BGP 001. The cars are likely to do well this weekend, and I wouldn’t be surprised if a few more 11th-hour deals are in the pipeline.

Update: Here’s a picture of the car with the Henri Lloyd logo on it:

Brawn GP Henri Lloyd logo (click to enlarge)

Press release below:

Brawn GP is pleased to confirm its first new commercial partnership of the 2009 Formula One season with the announcement of an agreement with British clothing manufacturer Henri Lloyd as Official Supplier of Clothing and Footwear Technology.

Henri Lloyd is widely regarded as one of the market leaders in technical sailing and lifestyle apparel, and has pioneered the development of fabrics, garment design and product development for over 45 years. The company’s extensive knowledge and experience of innovative fabric technology has been applied to Brawn GP’s team clothing for the 2009 season to create a uniform able to adapt to the various climatic environments which the team will encounter at the seventeen races on the Grand Prix calendar.

Founded and based in Manchester, England, Henri Lloyd is extremely proud of its British heritage and delighted to be supporting the Brackley based British team, using the shared values of innovation and performance to continue its product development ambitions in the unique environment of Formula One.

In addition to providing Brawn GP’s team and travel clothing plus the team’s official merchandise range, the Henri Lloyd brand will appear on the BGP 001 car throughout the 2009 Formula One season.

Ross Brawn, Team Principal of Brawn GP commented: "We are delighted to welcome Henri Lloyd to Formula One and to the Brawn GP team. We are particularly proud to begin our association with a company which prides itself on innovation and design and we will be working hard with Henri Lloyd to produce clothing which provides the highest levels of fabric technology for our demanding working environment. The Brawn GP team has faced a race against time to complete our preparations for the first race of the season in Melbourne and we would like to thank Henri Lloyd for sharing our vision for the future of the team and their commitment in ensuring that the team’s identity will be so well reflected in our team clothing and merchandise this year."

Paul Strzelecki, Joint Chief Executive of Henri Lloyd said; "We are thrilled to announce our official partnership with Brawn GP, a team that reflects our proud British heritage and development of product innovation and technology. We are very excited about our future together and wish the team every success for the 2009 season."

Read more: 2009 F1 drivers helmets (Pictures)

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Keith Collantine
Lifelong motor sport fan Keith set up RaceFans in 2005 - when it was originally called F1 Fanatic. Having previously worked as a motoring...

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28 comments on “Jenson Button changes helmet design”

  1. I really hate it when drivers change their helmets to match their cars. A driver’s helmet is his little piece of individuality, most of whom have worn the same helmet design through their career.

    I didn’t like it when Schumacher dropped his blue design for the red one he wore at Ferrari, and don’t really see the point of a driver changing his helmet. After all – they’re not strictly speaking ’employees’ of the team, just contractors. I wonder what motivated Button to change it, my guess is it is more down to team pressure rather than individual choice.

    1. I agree, the helmet should not change with the car. In the past, drivers used strong geometric themes that could be seen from the distance ( Jackie Stewart, Graham Hill, Phil Read, Mike Hailwood ).
      Now helmets all look the same : a blur of little details. the design should be simplified and made stronger.

    2. i agre, the heimet shoulkd not change with car . in the pat, driver used strong geometric themes that could be from the distance [ jacke stwart, graham hill , phill read , mike mailwood] .
      now helmets all look the same: a bulur of ittle details, the design should be simplifed and made stronger.

  2. Never heard of that company, and a right shame about the helmet.. doing a Schumacher/Irvine/Alonso… changing the helmet to match the car.

    1. Henri Lloyd are a clothing brand in the UK

  3. Potential new sponsor for the team- Fry Brawntos Pies!

  4. Keith, do we know if it’s a permanent change or just for this first race?

  5. good on him, shows to everyone (in and out of the team) that he’s dedicated to the cause.

    congrats on the sponsorship, can only hope they pick up more bigger ones, a clothing company is probably mostly contra work (logos in exchange for all the gear they need), still better than spending the cash on the gear.

    1. Yeah I think that’s probably the point. Has Reubens done the same?

  6. Disappointed, I actually liked his old one, thought it was really classy.

    1. Same here- took me awhile to see that his initials were spelled out in the Union Flag, but a very good design.

  7. I don’t like it – helmet design changing in general and his new helmet.

    What were his previous helmet designs? I remember the england flag one from World Cup but I don’t recall him moving away from union jack styled JB on helmet…

    1. There was a competition last year run through his website to design a helmet for him to wear at the British GP.

      I think it’s the one shown in the picture on his homepage: jensonbutton.com

  8. I hope he has just changed it for one race, as although I wouldn’t rate his old design as great it is better than this one.

    I don’t mind drivers changing their helmet design for special occasions, but I prefer if long term they keep roughly the same design or at least don’t change to match the livery of the car all the time.

  9. How much have Henri Lloyd spent to get logos that small? Is there a maybe a bigger catch Ross has his eye on?

    1. My guess would be that the small logo is in return for all the team’s clothing for the season. Plenty of room left on the car for a title sponsor to come on board!!

  10. Virgin sponsors Brawn… official confirmation due tomorrow.

    This was I always felt would happen, and its great news from where I am sitting. Quality.

  11. Bigbadderboom
    26th March 2009, 15:37

    Virgin on his Lid, ha ha!! I’m sure Jenson will wear it with pride!!

  12. I love the irony of fans attacking drivers who have helmets based on their car’s livery (and that’s not even going into the argument that those drivers choose it for THEIR personality. Look at Schumacher’s classic Marlboro lid or Alonso’s beautiful helmets that also matched the flag of Asturias), when someone here like Button had a helmet design based on his nationality.

    Yeah. That’s just as unique and non-boring.

    Brawn’s scheme (the yellow) is classic. As is Button’s new helmet. That hue of fluorescent yellow is “racing yellow” for a reason, and good on them.

    It’s THEIR helmet, not yours, and it’s their chosen brand of personality, not what YOU want it to be.

    By the way, the last World Cup was in 2006, and Button had the English flag design for Silverstone and Montreal (I think…though I was in Indianapolis for that race and England had just lost to Portugal during qualifying Saturday).

  13. Shave off the face fuzz and any helmet would look good.
    I’m old fashioned, I liked his JB/union jack scheme but it is his choice. William Hill has odds on him for a win the first time out ……… fingers crossed

    1. Long time no see mate! Terrific to see you back on here again.

  14. ‘Jenson Button has changed his helmet design for his first race with Brawn GP’

    Read lol^

  15. WHY, WHY, WHY, JENSON?????

    He had the coolest helmet in all of Formula One, and he has to change to this rubbish.

    Is this a permanent change? I surely hope not. Bring back the Jack!

  16. It’s great. Now I’ll be able to tell Button and Barrichello apart during the race this weekend. Doesn’t matter on the telly, but at the track it’ll be much easier.

    1. TommyBellingham
      27th March 2009, 1:47

      No you won’t Rubens has changed his to yellow too!

  17. I would paint the helmet in a Beatles theme , with the Union Jack included.
    This new livery he is showing us is very boring and generic
    By the way, as corporate colour, I would replace that lime yellow for gold instead. That funky lime yellow is a very old look.
    The new Virgin deal is an opportunity to do something imaginative and cool, in all aspects of team imagery and livery.
    good luck to all !

  18. Is it intended to be a blank canvas, like the car itself? Will sponsors be able to colour the helmet too?

    2004 was actually the year of the European Cup. I’m not being critical, just doing a little nitpicking.

  19. I couldnt agree more about changing helmet designs.It’s to appease the sponsors is my guess.But the designs do need to be simplified;less is more.With the current designs,I pretty much have no idea as to who’s who.Grahamn and Damon Hills’ were the best I think…

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