Innovation Friday:
Life, death &
sports innovation

Very few sports spit sparks, fire and gasoline. Save motorsport; in particular Formula One racing.

Performing at this level is serious sh#t; a matter of life and death. It is for that reason that the FIA, the sports federation for auto racing takes their work seriously. The result is that it makes our work innovating for Formula One level pilots a challenge. Challenging because what we do not only has to bring a functional benefit but also has to be safe according to FIA. For many years the barometer was simply, can we make something that pilots can use that also does not ignite. Recent Formula One competition called for more; it has to be lighter.

When you are on the hunt for ultimate performance in motorsports, weight reduction means milliseconds on the track. Shaved milliseconds can amount to winning. It is relatively easy to eliminate weight in a motor or chassis. Manufacturers have that methodology dialed pretty well. The last horizon is the weight of the driver. But you can only reduce the weight of the driver so much before they become physically incapable of performing at the highest level. The challenge for us at PUMA Innovation is this: to deliver weight reduction without compromising functionality AND stringent safety standards.

Enter the 99g shoe team. We methodically reduced the standard footwear equipment to the bare essentials producing the lightest weight performing drivers shoe in the F1 paddock. We managed to develop a shoe that reduced weight significantly while maintaining expected performance and safety requirements. Championship drivers can attest to the accomplishment. And there’s no better return on investment than that.