It is essential to measure physiological parameters such as heart rate variability and respiratory rate of drivers to evaluate their performance. The results from this measurement can be used to assess the state of body and mind, for instance concentration and stress. However, current systems only work in controlled environments, or sensors obstruct and interfere with operations of the driver. In this study, a face-lead ECG is placed inside a helmet to enhance comfort and convenience in racing scenarios. Multiple electrodes were attached to facial locations, which exhibit good contact with a helmet, and bipolar configurations were examined between the left and right side of the subject's face. Standard and data-driven filtering algorithms were employed to improve the extraction of R peaks from the ECG data. The so-extracted R peaks were subsequently used to estimate heart activity and respiration effort, and the results were compared with standard recording protocols. It is shown that ECG recordings obtained from locations on the lower jaw match closely with conventional recording paradigms (limb-lead ECG), highlighting the potential of vital sign monitoring from within a racing helmet.