Formula 1 Will Have Helmet Cams On All Drivers And It Looks Incredible

Get ready for some high-speed perspectives this upcoming Formula 1 season. Helmet cams for every single driver on the grid are coming in 2023.

This is a good thing. This is a very good thing.

Helmet cams provide some unbelievable views of the action.

I mean, come on. Is that not incredible?

Those views come courtesy of small cameras embedded in the helmet padding that look through the visor. They became a common part of broadcasts last season. If memory serves, they were used occasionally at the tail end of the 2021 season as well.

So while they're not new, they were usually limited to 1 or 2 drivers per race. That's all well and good, but if something happened during a Grand Prix and you thought "Man, it'd be cool to see that from inside the driver's helmet," there was a 90-95% chance that driver wasn't outfitted with a camera.

Not anymore; thanks FIA!

The sports governing body has signed off on equipping every driver with one of these tiny, technological wonders.

Just an incredible piece of technology, but could they serve an additional purpose?

Mercedes' Lewis Hamilton serves a penalty at the 2020 Russian Grand Prix. (Photo by Mark Thompson/Getty Images)

Who Will Be First To Get A Penalty Thanks To The Helmet Cam?

Helmet cams add a lot to broadcasts. However, it got me wondering: how long will it take before the FIA or race stewards lean on them to dish out penalties? Not that the stewards or FIA need any more data or cameras to assess penalties, but this one could give them some additional info.

The helmet cams give a pretty good view of the cockpit, including the steering wheel screen. It also gives you a great perspective on where the driver's hands are and where his head is turned. That's all information that I could see being used to apply a penalty.

Who will be the first one to run afoul of the helmet cams? I don't know but the season is just over a month away. We'll find out soon!

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