Vettel camp denies copying Schumacher helmet

Feb.10 (GMM) The Sebastian Vettel camp has denied claims the quadruple world champion's 2015 helmet livery is based on a design once worn by the great Michael Schumacher.

Publications including La Gazzetta dello Sport (Italy) and Germany's Sport Bild had made the link between Vettel's new white design and an almost identical one reportedly worn by his mentor and idol Schumacher in his karting days in the mid 80s.

But Jens Munser, the designer behind Vettel's multitude of liveries, says he and the 27-year-old driver devised the 2015 helmet without Schumacher in mind.

"We deliberately kept the design simple," he told Sport Bild.

"We liked his provisional helmet from the first Ferrari test at Fiorano, and Sebastian wanted to add the German colours so that he is better recognised," Munser, who also painted the great Schumacher's latter red helmets, added.

Vettel's assistant Britta Roeske confirmed that the helmet was designed without either the new Ferrari driver or Munser having any knowledge of Schumacher's mid-80s karting livery.

Munser continued: "The off-centre stripe running from front to back was my suggestion.

"I originally wanted the helmet divided in two different colours. But we both liked the white helmet Sebastian used in November so much that we kept it."

Interestingly, the red used for Vettel's new tricolour stripe and the famous red of Schumacher's famous latter designs is an identical huge, given that Munser painted both driver's F1 helmets.