Helmet story: Nicklas Nielsen

People say that the design of a helmet reflects the driver who wears it. It expresses their personality, history, and heroes. Nicklas Nielsen's is no exception. The young Dane, who last year became an official Ferrari driver, chose colours connected to his country, along with a simple design and a reference to the driver who inspired him, Michael Schumacher.

"When I started racing karts," says Nielsen, "my helmet was white, embellished with the stickers of the official manufacturers for which I raced. There's no particular reason why I didn't use a distinctive design. I liked the idea of having a simple helmet. As the years went by, I too decided to customise the style, while still preferring to keep it simple and clean. This year, after being appointed official Ferrari driver for GT competitions, I wanted something slightly different and evolutionary".

After dominating the Ferrari Challenge, Nielsen gave vent to his talent in the European Le Mans Series, which he won in the colours of Luzich Racing, and in the WEC where he shared the wheel of the 488 GTE with François Perrodo and Emmanuel Collard. With the dawn of 2020, the Dane decided to redesign his helmet. "The design I have chosen for this season," continues the 23-year-old from Hørning, "is even simpler and more essential than the one with which I started WEC Season 8. I chose red and white, which fit very well both with the Danish flag and Ferrari, but I opted for a matte finish. I should have started using this helmet at the 1000 Miles of Sebring, but unfortunately, it wasn't possible. I can't wait to wear it on track as soon as we resume racing".

In some cases, drivers use colours or designs inspired by those of their past idols. Nielsen, however, wanted to include a reference to an element present in the helmet of his favourite driver. "There isn't a specific helmet that inspired me for the design of mine. One of my favourites is still the one used by Michael Schumacher when he raced for Ferrari. When I was little, I used to watch him on TV all the time, and he was my hero. His helmet was special, red, with stars on the shell and a big badge with the Prancing Horse, the same one I used for mine".