Helmet cameras will continue to deliver spectacular images in the 2023 Formula 1 season. The new contract allows all drivers to use the microtechnology. Stunning innovations that will make a breakthrough in virtual sports, imagine first-person racing
Onboard footage from the cockpits of Formula 1 driver manages to capture the excitement on the race track. The helmet camera, which provides images from the pilots’ perspective, was particularly convincing in the 2022 season, making the bouncing through the porpoising, the visibility conditions, and the enormous speed of the bolides tangible for TV viewers. The use of the helmet camera is to be expanded for the 2023 season.
On Monday, Formula 1 signed a new contract with Racing Force Group that guarantees the use of the helmet camera in 2023 as well. “The technology will be available to all drivers and helmet manufacturers in Formula One during the 2023 season,” a Racing Force Group statement said.
Unrestricted access to technology did not exist before. Because Racing Force Group is the parent company of the helmet brand Bell, only drivers with a Bell helmet has been able to use the camera. That comprised around half of the drivers in the 2022 season, including record world champion Lewis Hamilton. The rest of the field, which relied on other helmet manufacturers, could not install the technology. The new contract, including safety tests, now makes this possible.
Formula 1 helmet camera a must from 2023
The helmet camera is mounted inside the helmet at the eye level of the driver. It provides TV viewers with immersive live images. The Mirko camera has a diameter of 8 millimeters and weighs just under 1.5 grams. Since it was first used in 2021, the device has been further developed and is now a whole gram lighter. The technology caused a great deal of excitement among F1 spectators and is expected to further enhance the quality of TV broadcasts in the future.
At present, it is not yet clear whether the helmet camera will be used by all drivers at every session. The latest version of the technical regulations stipulates in Article 8.17 that every driver must at least be equipped with a helmet camera. If a driver is not obliged to use the micro camera in a session, an appropriate dummy weight must be placed in the cockpit.
