WATCH: How does an F1 headrest work?

Did you know that F1 drivers have three different types of cockpit headrests they can use?

Made of a specialised type of foam, these critical components for driver safety protect the driver in the event of a side or head-on impact and stop any force from being transferred to their neck.

The teams will be instructed on which type of headrest foam material they must use by the FIA, depending on the ambient temperatures at the race track.

If it is above 30°C teams will use Confor foam CF45M that will be blue, below 30°C it will be pink Confor foam CF42M, and for less than 15°C they will use Sunmate foam which is white/light blue.

This is because the dynamic properties of each foam change at different temperatures. For example, below 30°C the blue foam will be too firm which would not help in a high-speed impact.

Check out the video with Mercedes Senior Car Build Technician, Chris Middleton, showing the different materials.