The Mercedes-Benz E-Class has about as much in common with the W04 race car as your tabby does with a cheetah. Both cars have wheels, brakes, and an engine, but that's where the similarities end. The same goes for the helmets donning the heads of F1's hot shoes.

Mercedes snagged its two resident drivers – Lewis Hamilton and Nico Rosberg – to go over what makes their helmets special, and it starts with a carbon fiber shell and Kevlar lining custom-molded to their skulls. Naturally, every component is fire resistant, and there's ducting at the top to provide a bit of air flow, but that's all they have in common with the brain bucket you throw on before your weekend track day.

Four transparent, tear-off sheets cover the impact-resistant 3 mm thick visor so suicidal bugs can be dispatched at speed. More importantly, there's now a carbon fiber shield at the top of the visor that was mandated after Felipe Massa took a two-pound spring to the head during qualifying at the 2009 Hungarian Grand Prix. At 160 mph, it was the equivalent of being hit by an AK-47 round, landing him in the hospital with a fractured skull and an injury to his left eye. Schuberth, F1's helmet supplier, has an awesome millisecond-by-millisecond breakdown of exactly what transpired during the Massa incident and how it's informed their helmet designs.

The most interesting bit about these custom helmets is what you don't see when the drivers are whizzing past the double ton: the aerodynamic aids. Because the driver's head is exposed, the helmet is designed as a part of the overall shape of the race car. A few clear, polycarbonate pieces are fitted to the top and back of the helmet to keep the air flowing smoothly and eliminate excessive force when they're gunning down the Monaco straight – more than enough energy to displace a few vertebrae.