F1 drivers "will be banned from changing helmet designs in-season under new rules set to be introduced this year," according to Jonathan Noble of AUTOSPORT. As part of a push to improve the promotional appeal of the sport, F1 chiefs "have grown concerned that fans are turned off by drivers constantly changing their helmet colours." Some drivers "change their colours at every race." Just like a rule introduced last year that has forced drivers to keep the same car number for their career in a bid to make it better for marketing, F1 "will now force drivers to not change helmet designs as much." High-level sources have revealed that teams, the FIA and F1 CEO Bernie Ecclestone "have agreed to limit drivers to just one helmet design for the season" (AUTOSPORT, 2/18). REUTERS' Alan Baldwin wrote the news "received a mixed response on social media, with sportscar racer and former F1 driver Alexander Wurz one of those critical of the decision." Australian Mark Webber, who left F1 at the end of '13 and now races for Porsche in sportscars, suggested there were "bigger issues than this" for the sport to address. Others pointed out that "one-off helmets, such as the special design worn by Jenson Button in 2011 and auctioned off to raise funds for victims of a Japanese earthquake and tsunami, would not be allowed" (REUTERS, 2/18).
