They're really focused on tech, and I was like: ‘Great. “So, I really cranked down and, when I joined this team, the good thing with Puma is they were really forward thinking with their innovation. “I looked at one of the Mercedes drivers next to me and their stuff was so light, and I was like: ‘What the hell? How's your stuff light and breathable and mine is not?’ I was sweating I was really so hot in my gear after qualifying. “I remember seeing the drivers at Mercedes, and I was in a press conference once with them. “I remember when I got to F1 my kit was so heavy, and it wasn't Puma,” he said. Photo by: Charles Coates / Motorsport Images

Nico Rosberg, Mercedes AMG, Lewis Hamilton, McLaren, and Michael Schumacher, Mercedes AMG, in the post qualifying Press Conference Lewis Hamilton said he realised the difference that more advanced racewear could bring when he was once sat many years ago in a press conference with Mercedes drivers who were wearing Puma kit at the time. The quest to improve racewear is not just about weight though, as it is also an area where driver comfort can be just as important in delivering extra performance out on track. It looks crazy, but if you talk about two grams – when it goes through a corner at 4G, that is eight grams.Īlso, as the result of lessons learned from Romain Grosjean’s fiery accident at the 2020 Bahrain Grand Prix, for this season the thickness of the gloves has also been increased to offer better protection. Puma’s motorsport racewear consultant Maurizio Sicco said: “The Velcro inside the overalls is perforated to save a few grams.

This has triggered some extreme tweaks - including replacing metal zip pullers for fabric ones and unique Velcro fitments to chase gains that can be as small as 2g. In fact as Puma, which supplies a number of teams including Ferrari and Mercedes, revealed at a special event ahead of the Bahrain Grand Prix, no stone has been left unturned in it thinking where improvements can be made. One illustration of how every element counts in F1 is the huge progress that has been made over the years in bringing down the weight of overalls, boots, and gloves.īut while drivers have got used to their racewear getting lighter (overalls have come down from around 1.6kg more than a decade ago to now be around 800g), that does not mean racewear firms are resting on their laurels.

3 pockets in my overalls