HOW F1 TECH FILTERS DOWN TO RACING’S GRASSROOTS

There’s an old saying in motorsport that goes something along the lines of ‘if you have a five-dollar head, then buy a five-dollar helmet’. Fernando Alonso’s cranium is one of the most valuable in motorsport, so it’s hardly surprising that he places a high value on protecting it. But he also extends that philosophy to others.

Alonso’s karting school in Llanera exclusively uses Bell helmets, and the significance of safety equipment forms a key part of the syllabus.

“Thanks to my 17 years in

Formula 1, the first thing I wanted was to share that experience,” says Alonso. “I wanted to have the best of the best in my karting school, and obviously for the kids’ protection they have to have the best. That can only be Bell helmets.

“One of the first priorities for me is to teach them how to wear the helmet, how to tighten the helmet, how to close the visor when they go out on track. The most valued thing they have is their head, and they need to protect it with the best things.”

Alonso’s extensive experience, which includes suffering concussion in a testing crash in February 2015 that kept him out of that year’s season-opening Australian Grand

Prix, also means he knows how age changes perception of risk.

This adds to his desire to pass that knowledge on.

“When you’re young, you are not totally aware of the risks and the danger,” he says. “Safety is more and more a concern with the years. Thanks to this experience, you start choosing some different ways, different manufacturers, and that makes you more happy and safe.”