The 1991 Formula 1 World Championship would see Ayrton Senna clinch his third and final Drivers’ Championship. Across sixteen races around the world, Senna took the checkered flag at seven of them, two victories more than Nigel Mansell in his first season back at Williams after Mansell’s tenure with Ferrari. This would secure his position in the list of all-time greats, tying rival Alain Prost’s record for second most Drivers’ Championships won, a title also then shared with Jack Brabham, Jackie Stewart, Niki Lauda, and fellow Brazilian Nelson Piquet.

Nineteen ninety-one would also be Senna’s second and final year of wearing a Rheos helmet, with Senna moving to Shoei for 1992 and 1993 and then moving back to Bell prior to his passing, leaving only a small number of Senna-worn Rheos helmets in existence. Rheos was a Honda-owned motorcycle helmet manufacturer, but exclusive for the Japanese motorcycle market. Honda had bikes racing in the Japanese domestic motorcycle race series and many of those riders wore the Rheos helmet. As Senna was such an important figure to Honda, they decided to make bespoke helmets for both him and his teammate Gerhard Berger.

The helmets produced for 1991 were significant as these were brand new, bespoke helmets produced by Rheos focused on car racing rather than motorcycle racing. These were produced in very limited numbers, not intended for regular production, and never generally available to purchase. As such, it boasts a variety of differences in the shell, visor, and venting to the helmets from 1990.

Research shows that this helmet was manufactured approximately seven days prior to the 1991 Hungarian Grand Prix. In all likelihood, this was too close to that grand prix for the helmet to have been worn there by Senna, but the helmet would have been available for race use during the 1991 Belgian Grand Prix weekend and onward.

Research into this exact helmet’s provenance is ongoing, but what is known is that the helmet was one of two used by Senna during the 1991 Japanese Grand Prix weekend, the very race where he secured that third Drivers’ Championship. Following the race, the helmet was signed by Senna on the rear left-hand side, allegedly gifting it to his teammate Gerhard Berger, and thus removing the helmet from the possibility of use at the final round of the 1991 World Championship at the Australian Grand Prix.

Acquired by the consignor approximately fifteen years ago, the helmet still shows visible signs of its race-worn use, and is presented in very well-preserved condition. It was used by Senna at a pivotal moment in his illustrious career and as such would be a significant addition to any collection.