An F1 driver’s racing outfit plays quite an integral part in their safety as well as their performance. The racing suit, boots, and all the apparel that drivers wear have lots of functionalities allowing racers to push to the limits while ensuring their safety. Lewis Hamilton recently revealed on Sky Sports F1 how much input Puma took from him while developing the perfect racing suits and boots, and how he regrets not patenting his design choices while helping the $10,100, 000,000 worth sports company.
Puma has managed to capture the F1 market and has a huge portfolio in the current grid. Top teams like Ferrari, and Mercedes as well as the likes of Alfa Romeo are all sponsored by the German company. In addition to that, Puma also signed a multi-year with F1 recently that grants them the right to create F1 branded apparel as well as become the apparel supplier for the F1 staff.
Being the official suppliers of Mercedes from 2012, Hamilton has been associated with the brand right from the moment he joined the Silver Arrows in 2013. However, now, the seven time world champion seems to be regretting his decision of not taking a slice from this segment that Puma have been able to crack.
Lewis Hamilton reveals his work process with Puma
Lewis Hamilton recently appeared in a video for Sky Sports F1, where he revealed and described everything that he wears while racing. He spoke about the development and the evolution of the racing boots as well as how he helped Puma craft the ideal racing suits for him.
Hamilton explained how weight was a major issue during the onset of the turbo-hybrid era and that is why the boots needed to be as flimsy as possible, with materials cut back. He also explained how he added a carbon fibre strip for added heel support in the car.
Hamilton said, “Ultimately, so many things I’ve…. I should have patented stuff.” He then went on to explain his work process with Puma. He revealed that he used to ask questions to the designer regarding every part of the apparel and what function they serve. Overall, Hamilton’s aim was to simplify everything as much as possible.
The evolution of racing shoes
Lewis Hamilton spoke about the race boots from the older days of F1 and how different they were from the current versions. He explained that during the days of the Ayrton Sennas, the boots were made of suede and were thick to provide adequate protection to the foot.
The boots also used to come up much higher to provide protection to the ankle in case of a crash. However, all of that is redundant nowadays because the driver is much safer inside the carbon fibre cockpit. The main aim with the boots nowadays is to reduce the weight and be more functional.
Even though the boots are extremely thin and flimsy, they are sold everywhere for normal customers, even though they aren’t of much use outside the racing cockpit. Therefore, the shoes that are sold to the masses usually differ in terms of manufacturing, having different materials from the ones that the likes of Lewis Hamilton actually uses while racing.
