The Formula 1 paddock is a bustling environment that features more than just drivers. Through 2019 Motorsport Week will be delving behind-the-scenes to bring insight to elements of Formula 1 beyond the race track. In this edition we catch up with Gregor Huebner, Sports Marketing Manager for Puma, to discuss race suits and shoes.
Every Formula 1 driver needs technical gear including fireproof suits, boots, gloves and underwear. For Mercedes, Ferrari and Red Bull Racing that task lies with Puma. The German company, founded two years before the creation of a Formula 1 World Championship, is one of the largest sports apparel manufacturers in the world. And the trackside responsibility falls on Gregor Huebner.
Huebner started as an intern with Puma seven years ago in the sports marketing department and, once that finished, got a job in the motorsport department, responsible for order processes of teamwear, as well as the respective budgets. Since 2016 he has been in charge of technical gear (for drivers and mechanics) trackside.
“I go to all the races,” says Huebner. “Of course, we also do the technical gear for other teams in different series, for example BMW and Porsche and the series they are competing in. We have NASCAR, IndyCar with Team Penske. As F1 needs a different production plan throughout the season, including several productions, my main focus in terms of travelling is F1 due to adjustments of the technical gear. For the other series we have a production at the beginning of the season which is not being changed in the season. In F1 we have six productions a year in case there’s changes.”
.jpg)
Designing a Formula 1 race suit is no straightforward task. Each driver has their own requests in terms of fitting, not to mention that of the team, who have sponsor considerations.
“Normally we come up with a design proposal, in case of Scuderia Ferrari i.e. we normally align these proposals to the team gear we are also providing to fit the whole picture– maybe up to five options – then we discuss with the team and they might say ‘okay we like this one’, or ‘we want to do this way’,” he explains. “It’s actually a compromise between our designs and their ideas.”
In Formula 1 the first production is, naturally, ready in time for pre-season testing, with the specifications retained from the previous season if the driver is happy. Some items already need to be delivered earlier, for example, for PR purposes or media appointments that take place prior to pre-season testing. Huebner speaks to all of the drivers under Puma’s umbrella through Barcelona testing to assess whether everything fits their needs. Sometimes a driver may want a tighter or looser leg fitting, meaning there are small adjustments required. It’s not the quickest of processes – given the intricacies of the production – but when Formula 1 takes priority, even during a busy phase, it can be turned around in a week. During quieter times, a full race suit can be ready within four working days.
The desire for better fitting, more breathable, more comfortable – not to mention better looking – race suits is never-ending, but there’s one other major consideration on Puma’s mind: weight.
“The first thing of course is the items are as light as possible, and it also depends on the sponsor logos you apply, not to mention the weight and height of a driver which of course also is a major point,” says Huebner, with one change over the years being sponsor logos printed onto the overalls rather than stitched. Some suits can be heavier than others due to specific team requirements but the weight can be as low as 700g. “Then of course each driver is different. Some drivers want to have a totally fitted suit, like Valtteri and Lewis, other drivers want to have it a bit wider, like Charles and Sebastian – or Kimi, who would fit maybe twice in a suit! Every driver is different in that aspect.”
The weight transformation is impressive. A decade ago Huebner estimates a driver’s overalls weighed between 1.4 and 1.7kg, meaning there has been an approximate 50 per cent reduction in a short period of time. This comes despite greater safety requirements and rigorous tests that the overalls and remaining items have to go through (such as intense fire tests that even the tiny stitches must pass) and any tweaks in that regard usually means greater weight.
“We worked a lot on the construction of the suits, and thought where can we save weight,” Huebner says, while understandably wanting to keep coy on the company’s workings. “If you look at the zipper, back then for example it was made out of metal or iron, and now it’s only a Nomex loop, same material as the suit itself. We try and save weight wherever we can.”
Those race suits are regularly re-worn – there are, after all, financial considerations at play – but each driver can get through a double-digit number of suits each season, and it’s the same for another key element of Puma’s involvement: the race boots, which are predominantly constructed from soft, cushioned leather.
Each driver needs maximum feel for the respective pedals, with Huebner explaining the design “depends on the driver – but also the car, because every team has a different pedal construction. Some drivers though want to have a stiffer shoe and more stability, whereas others want to have it as light as possible. On the heel, some of the drivers use carbon heel caps, some of them use a normal support – so it’s a personal thing.”
As with overalls, weight is a consideration but not the defining factor. Puma once made its lightest-ever shoe at 66g, but it was “just to show what we can do” and never raced as “it’s just too light” and each driver needs at least a bit of support. Most shoes weigh between 120g and 170g, dependant on the driver’s shoe size and their personal requests. Hamilton once described the shoes as “like socks, they’re so light”. The lightweight nature of the shoes means they wear down – as anyone knows, shoes degrade over time – and Puma regularly keeps an eye on wear to ensure driver comfort is at a maximum.
Huebner and Puma are also responsible for the mechanics’ overalls though as there are only usually “one or two” per season per pit crew member “they need to be a bit thicker” than the drivers’ overalls, albeit with the awareness that weight, and breathability, is still desired. The pit crew have to work in Singapore after all.
Formula 1 is a constant development battle ground and it’s no different for Puma, with Huebner filing a report after each grand prix to his colleagues at its Herzogenaurach base in Germany to assess the weekend’s work and if any adjustments are needed. So far they have never had a catastrophe related to any of the teams with which they work, but it hasn’t been plain sailing all the time.
“Deliveries which are stuck in customs are the worst! Fortunately it’s never included any race gear items. Last year we introduced the suits for the F1 Future Stars (better known as Grid Kids) together with Formula 1. In China these suits got stuck in customs and there was nothing we could do about it, despite all efforts, we were helpless. But it happens! They didn’t turn up in time – but fortunately an interim solution was found and once the suits were customs cleared they were send to each kids home address…in the end they were happy.”
