The story behind Tsunoda’s Japanese inspired helmet

We went behind the visor with 2020 title contender Yuki Tsunoda to discuss the design of his helmet and delve into the back story of where it all began.

The Red Bull junior discusses the colour scheme, the Japanese themes and explains why he has the God of Wind on his helmet.

“I started karting at four-years-old and my very first helmet was orange,” Tsunoda recalled. “I have continued to use orange since then because it is my favourite colour. There are also the links to Red Bull and Max Verstappen. Some people think that I copied it from him, but I have actually used this colour since I was little and I didn’t want to change it.

“I have made a few changes to my helmet this year. I added a pattern onto the top of the helmet, which you can see in the photographs. This pattern was inspired by Charles Leclerc – we actually use the same designer, Adrien Paviot.

“I saw the patterns on his helmet design last year and said to Adrien that the patterns were very nice and that I would want to put similar ones on my helmet. I think that it looks really cool, I like it. I normally don't use any patterns like this on my helmet, this was the first time that I tried it.

“You have obviously got the Red Bull branding and the Japanese flag on there, which were important for me. It was important for me to show that I am not just racing for myself, but that I am racing for Japanese fans.

“That is why the flag was so important. With that on there, it feels like we are racing together and it makes me feel confident. I tried to add patterns into the flag, and a shadow as well, so that it was a little different.

“There is an image on the back of the helmet, which was done by a Japanese designer. That is the God of Wind, which I thought was good to add to the back, because downforce is very important and that relates to wind.

“I thought that it would be cool to add the God of Wind to the helmet so that I get more downforce! It is mostly about having a little bit more luck. That is new this year as well.”