Atlas F1 Telling Teammates Apart

  by David Wright, Australia


For some reason, Formula One teams spend millions of dollars on designing and building their cars, but fail on one aspect of their design - being able to tell their two drivers apart! Poorly placed car numbers on higher and higher noses, coupled with helmet-obscuring cockpit padding makes the job more difficult than ever before. Even the semi-traditional differences in markings such as different coloured mirrors or brightly coloured nose tips or wing markings are becoming rare. The guide below is an attempt to help you decipher who's who in Formula One.

McLaren  |  Ferrari  |  Jordan  |  Jaguar  |  Williams  |  Benetton
Prost  |  Sauber  |  Arrows  |  Minardi  |  BAR

  McLaren
  1. Mika Hakkinen 2. David Coulthard
Car: *Black "man" on top front wing element *Red "man" on top front wing element
McLaren front wing, black man McLaren front wing, red man
Helmet: *White helmet with dark blue top and light, medium and dark blue horizontal stripes *Blue helmet with St Andrew's Cross
Helmet, Mika Hakkinen Helmet, David Coulthard
Number, front: *Red number halfway up nose
Number, side: *White number on large bargeboard


  Ferrari
  3. Michael Schumacher 4. Rubens Barrichello
Car: *Red front wing flip-ups *Red front wing flip-ups with white marking on trailing edge
Ferrari front wing Ferrari front wing, yellow markings
Helmet: *White helmet with black front, red side and yellow back; dark blue top with multiple stars *White helmet with orange oval front and rear; dark blue top with single star
Helmet, Michael Schumacher Helmet, Rubens Barrichello
Number, front: *Black number two-fifths up nose
Number, side: *Black number in middle of rear wing endplate


  Jordan
  5. Heinz-Harald Frentzen 6. Jarno Trulli
Car: *No discernable differences
Helmet: *Dark blue helmet with red and yellow arrow sweeping from back to top of helmet *White helmet with pink and green markings and dark blue top
Helmet, Heinz-Harald Frentzen Helmet, Jarno Trulli
Number, front: *Black number near tip of nose
Number, side: *Yellow number on bottom of rear wing endplate


  Jaguar
  7. Eddie Irvine 8. Johnny Herbert
Car: *No discernable differences
Helmet: *Black helmet with jaguar head on side and jaguar 'skin' on top *White helmet with red and black markings; red top with Union Jack
Helmet, Eddie Irvine Helmet, Johnny Herbert
Number, front: *White number two-fifths up nose
Number, side: *White number on sidepod flip-ups


  Williams
  9. Ralf Schumacher 10. Jenson Button
Car: *No discernable differences
Helmet: *Fluorescent yellow helmet with black front, red side and yellow back; black top with multiple stars *White helmet with Union Jack on side; dark blue top
Helmet, Ralf Schumacher Helmet, Jenson Button
Number, front: *Black number halfway up nose
Number, side: *Black number on rear of sidepod


  Benetton
  11. Giancarlo Fisichella 12. Alexander Wurz
Car: *Red-orange nose tip *Light blue nose tip
Benetton front wing, red-orange nose tip Benetton front wing
Helmet: *White helmet with green and yellow curved stripes; blue top *Dark blue helmet yellow, red and white diagonal stripes; dark blue top
Helmet, Giancarlo Fisichella Helmet, Alexander Wurz
Number, front: *White number three-quarters up nose
Number, side: *Dark blue number on bottom of rear wing endplate


  Prost
  14. Jean Alesi 15. Nick Heidfeld
Car: *Red gurney flap on top front wing element *Yellow gurney flap on top front wing element
Prost front wing, red gurney Prost front wing, yellow gurney
Helmet: *Chrome helmet with red and dark blue stripe; dark blue top *Dark blue helmet with wide yellow diagonal stripe; dark blue top
Helmet, Jean Alesi Helmet, Nick Heidfeld
Number, front: *Black number two-thirds up nose
Number, side: *Black number on lower-rear area of sidepod


  Sauber
  16. Pedro Diniz 17. Mika Salo
Car: *Yellow mirrors *Red mirrors
Sauber cockpit, yellow mirrors Sauber cockpit, red mirrors
Helmet: *Dark blue helmet with yellow arrow on sides and red arrow on top *White helmet with light blue sections; light blue top
Helmet, Pedro Diniz Helmet, Mika Salo
Number, front: *Red number on nose tip
Number, side: *Red number on bottom of rear wing endplate


  Arrows
  18. Pedro de la Rosa 19. Jos Verstappen
Car: *No discernable differences
Helmet: *Black helmet with red, yellow and silver stripes; black top *White helmet with maroon and dark blue stripes; maroon top
Helmet, Pedro de la Rosa Helmet, Jos Verstappen
Number, front: *Black number near tip of nose
Number, side: *Black number on bottom of rear wing endplate


  Minardi
  20. Marc Gene 21. Gaston Mazzacane
Car: *White "FONDMETAL" on top front suspension pushrod *Red "FONDMETAL" on top front suspension pushrod
Minardi front suspension, white pushrods Minardi front suspension, red pushrods
Helmet: *White helmet with red and yellow stripes, dark blue sections; red top *White helmet with red section; dark blue top
Helmet, Marc Gene Helmet, Gaston Mazzacane
Number, front: *Black number on first element of front wing
Number, side: *Black number on rear of sidepod


  BAR
  22. Jacques Villeneuve 23. Ricardo Zonta
Car: *No discernable differences
Helmet: *Blue helmet with pink, yellow and green stripes *Dark blue helmet with red and yellow stripes; dark blue top
Helmet, Jacques Villeneuve Helmet, Ricardo Zonta
Number, front: *Black number one-third up nose
Number, side: *Black number on bottom of rear wing endplate


David Wright © 2000 Kaizar.Com, Incorporated.
Send comments to: wright@atlasf1.com Terms & Conditions

 Back to Atlas F1 Front Page   Tell a Friend about this Article