Senna apparently drove an Onyx...how?

[tommykl]

I'm not really sure. I randomly found this photo on Google Images while actually searching for Eddie Irvine. Can anyone explain what was going on?

[Faustus]

Eddie Irvine's helmet in the 1988 British Formula 3 championship and in the 1989 F3000 championship was pretty much exactly like Ayrton Senna's. Shortly after he changed the colours to orange and green instead, but the layout is the same.
I didn't remember Eddie Irvine testing an Onyx in 1989. Good find.

[Salamander]

I'm not really sure. I randomly found this photo on Google Images while actually searching for Eddie Irvine. Can anyone explain what was going on?

Apparently it was actually Irvine in an Onyx, according to this.

[tommykl]

Thanks for clarifying that!

[dr-baker]

See, Mr Vettel, people recognise people by their helmet designs. But people won't recognise you by your helmet design because it keeps changing all the flippin' time...

[Salamander]

See, Mr Vettel, people recognise people by their helmet designs. But people won't recognise you by your helmet design because it keeps changing all the flippin' time...

To be honest, I never learned to recognise people by their helmet designs - I had to try to look at the car number until they put those yellow/red bits on top of the airbox (and boy am I glad they did that).

[ADx_Wales]

I think Irvine's helmet in 88 and 89 was such that it matched Senna's because Eddie was in Marlboro Liveried F3 and F3000 cars in respective seasons...

[dnhrudi]

I think you are right with the marlboro thing, when Irv went to japan he changed lid to orange and green. I remember though at the time he claimed it was because he was a big fan of Senna, which to be honest didn't seem like Irv to me. if it was I guess it changed a bit when Senna tried to girly punch him
There have been loads of helmet copiers though, Diniz, Marques, Davidson, Ian Sheckter........and that's without the 'sons of' thing. Actually could be a thread... the 'who didn't have the imagination to come up with their own helmet design' thread

[Jeroen Krautmeir]

I think you are right with the marlboro thing, when Irv went to japan he changed lid to orange and green. I remember though at the time he claimed it was because he was a big fan of Senna, which to be honest didn't seem like Irv to me. if it was I guess it changed a bit when Senna tried to girly punch him
There have been loads of helmet copiers though, Diniz, Marques, Davidson, Ian Sheckter........and that's without the 'sons of' thing. Actually could be a thread... the 'who didn't have the imagination to come up with their own helmet design' thread

Davidson had a pretty unique design, why would that be copied? Or am I missing something?

[dnhrudi]

I think you are right with the marlboro thing, when Irv went to japan he changed lid to orange and green. I remember though at the time he claimed it was because he was a big fan of Senna, which to be honest didn't seem like Irv to me. if it was I guess it changed a bit when Senna tried to girly punch him
There have been loads of helmet copiers though, Diniz, Marques, Davidson, Ian Sheckter........and that's without the 'sons of' thing. Actually could be a thread... the 'who didn't have the imagination to come up with their own helmet design' thread

Davidson had a pretty unique design, why would that be copied? Or am I missing something?

It's an almost exact copy of Eddie Cheever Jrs design, but with different colour combination


Cool design though, if Ant was gonna borrow someone elses design he could have done much much worse
Others off the top of my head:
Tarso Marques-Emerson Fittipaldi
Pedro Diniz-Carlos Pace
Ian Scheckter-George Follmer
Perry McCarthy-Gilles Villeneuve
Etc

[David AGS]

Jean Alesi - Elio de Angelis

Michele Alboreto- Ronnie Petersen??? (One of the Swede's)

But they used these helmets in respects of their idols.

[midgrid]

It's an almost exact copy of Eddie Cheever Jrs design, but with different colour combination
Cool design though, if Ant was gonna borrow someone elses design he could have done much much worse

Davidson chose his helmet design as a boy by flicking through a motorsport book/magazine and finding the one he liked best, which was Cheever's. It's quite strange to see a British driver with such a design, because Cheever's design is obviously based on the U.S. flag (and the flag of his home state of Arizona), with its two stars on either side connected by bands of red, white and blue.

Others off the top of my head:
Tarso Marques-Emerson Fittipaldi
Pedro Diniz-Carlos Pace
Ian Scheckter-George Follmer
Perry McCarthy-Gilles Villeneuve
Etc

Jackie Stewart - Allan McNish
Ayrton Senna - Lewis Hamilton (allegedly!)
Every Red Bull-backed driver

Nowadays the drivers seem to change their designs, both in terms of colours and layout, every year, so it gets harder and harder to remember each one's base design.

[Waris]

I think Cristiano da Matta also copied Alboreto's helmet or something.

[dnhrudi]

Always thought Johnny Herberts helmet looked a lot like Patrick Depailler's in design (but not colour...)

[f1-gast]

Well there is a story about Senna testing for Onyx there was some deal with Mclaren back in the days between both.
But i'm not trully sure if this is real i still cant get that story bee verified.

[dnhrudi]

Well there is a story about Senna testing for Onyx there was some deal with Mclaren back in the days between both.
But i'm not trully sure if this is real i still cant get that story bee verified.

From the 8W site
Eddie Irvine tests Onyx Paul Ricard December 89
What? Ayrton Senna driving an Onyx? No, not quite. In the year Eddie Irvine promoted to F3000 after losing a season-long battle in British F3 to JJ Lehto - he received his first interest from several F1 teams. The Onyx squad run by Mike Earle and Joe Chamberlain had had a promising debut season culminating in Stefan Johansson's terrific third place at Estoril. By that time Eddie's F3 rival and Pacific F3000 team mate Lehto had replaced Bertrand Gachot as the number-two driver at Onyx and things started to rumble at Onyx' top management level, Earle and Chamberlain falling out with their prime backer, the eccentric Belgian millionaire, Jean-Pierre van Rossem.

The founders' struggle with van Rossem was a lost cause from the start, Earle and Chamberlain abandoning the team in December 1989 - just after Eddie Irvine's Ricard test. And so Eddie's chances to become a Formula 1 driver for 1990 evaporated,

[David AGS]

Its funny, If a team scores a podium and a 5th place, they will probably earn a large amount of money, more than enough to last a few seasons,well more than a year and a half!

Just gives a team like Minardi more kudos for lasting years without a point!

Back to helmets, Da Matta's helmet similar to Alboreto, slightly different.

I liked Irvine's helmet before he joined Jaguar. Simple, personal, until the leaping cat appeared.

While its nice that father/son share same helmet, like Graham/Damon Hill

Gabriele Tarquini likes spiderman as a kid, so he incorporated a web round his shell!

[dnhrudi]

Gabriele Tarquini likes spiderman as a kid, so he incorporated a web round his shell![/quote]

The rather wonderful and late Guido Dacco had a spider web on his lid too, complete with spider

[Ferrim]

Its funny, If a team scores a podium and a 5th place, they will probably earn a large amount of money, more than enough to last a few seasons,well more than a year and a half!

Jordan won a race in 2003 but were still broke and sold at the end of 2004...

[dnhrudi]

Its funny, If a team scores a podium and a 5th place, they will probably earn a large amount of money, more than enough to last a few seasons,well more than a year and a half!

Jordan won a race in 2003 but were still broke and sold at the end of 2004...

Mike Earle and the guys were a very talented battle hardened team.It was not so surprising that they did so well, especially with Jenkins design The real tragedy was that they happened to hook up with the lunatic Van Roussem. Still they have done alright for themselves over the intervening years in TC's.

[stupot94]

Here, bright as day

[DanielPT]

There is another thing. Senna's helmet was made by Arai only until 1982. Then from 83 until 89 was made by Bell, 90 and 91 was Rheos Helmets (who were actually made by Honda). For the 92 and 93 they were made by Shoei and finally for 94 he returned to Bell.

I am guessing that, just like with this last picture, when Irvine drove an Onyx his helmet was Arai...

[WeirdKerr]

There is another thing. Senna's helmet was made by Arai only until 1982. Then from 83 until 89 was made by Bell, 90 and 91 was Rheos Helmets (who were actually made by Honda). For the 92 and 93 they were made by Shoei and finally for 94 he returned to Bell.

I am guessing that, just like with this last picture, when Irvine drove an Onyx his helmet was Arai...

And Irvine's helmet is more of an orange than the yellow that Senna used.....

[thehemogoblin]

There is another thing. Senna's helmet was made by Arai only until 1982. Then from 83 until 89 was made by Bell, 90 and 91 was Rheos Helmets (who were actually made by Honda). For the 92 and 93 they were made by Shoei and finally for 94 he returned to Bell.

I am guessing that, just like with this last picture, when Irvine drove an Onyx his helmet was Arai...

And Irvine's helmet is more of an orange than the yellow that Senna used.....

I wouldn't trust the coloration of scanned photographs.

[WeirdKerr]

There is another thing. Senna's helmet was made by Arai only until 1982. Then from 83 until 89 was made by Bell, 90 and 91 was Rheos Helmets (who were actually made by Honda). For the 92 and 93 they were made by Shoei and finally for 94 he returned to Bell.

I am guessing that, just like with this last picture, when Irvine drove an Onyx his helmet was Arai...

And Irvine's helmet is more of an orange than the yellow that Senna used.....

I wouldn't trust the coloration of scanned photographs.

I remember seeing it in magazines and in the late 80s