Standing out in the field: Sophia Floersch on her racing helmet design

A racing helmet design is always a factor to differentiate rivals from each other and for Sophia Floersch, it’s a creative way to stand out.

The Van Amersfoort Racing and Alpine Academy driver details her 2024 design, compares it to her early versions from her career, and who her dream collaboration would be with.

“My very first design was quite a lot of pink and turquoise and I had a huge Spongebob Squarepants on the back of it with a number one trophy. I was always watching it back when I was younger.

“But I’ve kept the Sophia stripes ever since I started using them, I think it was in 2017 or 2018. Those stripes are always on my design now, I’m just changing the colour. I just wanted to adapt it and tried to adapt it to the car colours of whatever I’m driving. That’s what I did this year, so there’s a lot of purple which I think goes quite well with the black, blue and pink on the car this year.

“Then I have some sponsor logos, and in the background, I have all the track names in the white section, all the F3 tracks we’re racing on this year, which is quite cool. Then I have the star on top which doesn’t really have a meaning, I just like how it looks on the design.

“My favourite part I would say is the glitter in the paint because I really think that the purple and silver glitter looks really shiny and special in the sun. I have the helmet from Bell, so they’ve tried to match the screws with the paint and the visor, which is cool as well.

“The helmet itself is from Bell, but the painter is Joto Designs from Spain, I’ve worked with them for six or seven years now and they do a really good job. They’re great to work with, always on time and making sure the helmet is even more special every single time.

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“Because we’ve worked together for so many years now he knows what I want. So I start off with the Sophia stripes and then I tell him the main colours that the helmet should have, then some special features like the track names over the design. Then he will come up with some drafts, different designs and options with different colours and so on. They’re similar to how the helmet ends up in the end, so there’s not usually much I want to change, just sometimes sponsors and logo placements.

“I’ve been with Bell since 2014, quite a long time already. The support they give you at the track is just amazing. They always have the helmets ready way before a session starts, which helps you out and they have spare kit and so on. I think a helmet is something that a driver can design and it means something. I’ve never given a helmet away, it’s so special to you.

“If I was going to do a special design, it would be for a special race like Monaco or Macau. Those tracks are legendary but what would I do? I really want to have a jewellery brand or luxury brand involved, maybe like a Chanel design. That is something I’d love to do in the future, so let’s see.”