The two-gram weight saving that highlights F1’s details obsession

But while the near kilogram of mass that engineers have gained in stripping back liveries has been clear to see, there are other less obvious areas where the weight-saving push has been just as extreme but for much tinier gains. 

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. 

But 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. 

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. 

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. 

George Russell, Mercedes

Photo by: Mercedes-Benz

Puma’s motorsport racewear consultant Maurizio Sicco said: “The Velcro inside the overalls is perforated to save a few grams. It looks crazy, but if you talk about two grams – when it goes through a corner at 4G, that is eight grams. 

“Ross Brawn used to say that you will never find one modification that will make you gain one second, but you can find ten different modifications that will help you gain one tenth of a second. And that’s so true.” 

Such details seem ever more important now because racewear manufacturers have pretty much hit the limit of being able to make big gains in reducing weight thanks to the FIA’s ever more stringent safety standards. 

“The FIA increased the safety two years ago as they realised that the level of safety was not enough,” added Sicco. 

“They asked to increase the performances not only in fireproof terms but also on heat protection, because you can burn yourself just from heat. 

“To reach this protection, you need different layers and the right amount of air in between: as air is the best insulation. So, they ask to the producer to increase the weight of the underwear and the weight of the suits. So now we are at that level.” 

Also, 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. 

Performance gains 

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. 

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. 

Nico Rosberg, Mercedes AMG, Lewis Hamilton, McLaren, and Michael Schumacher, Mercedes AMG, in the post qualifying Press Conference

Photo by: Charles Coates / Motorsport Images

“I remember when I got to F1 my kit was so heavy, and it wasn't Puma,” he said. 

“I remember seeing the drivers at Mercedes, and I was in a press conference once with them. I was sweating [and] I was really so hot in my gear after qualifying.  

“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?’  

“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. They're really focused on tech, and I was like: ‘Great. Let's work on this. Let's make this the best kit that we have’.” 

Extra performance can come from the tiniest of tweaks. Puma’s senior manager of sports marketing Gregor Huebner recalls how, amid the intensity of the 2016 world championship battle between Hamilton and Nico Robserg, he was asked to make a key change to the gloves of the German. 

“At the 2016 Singapore race, we got approached by Nico Rosberg because he wanted to change the construction of his gloves,” said Huebner. 

“During starts, there was seam in between the finger and the shifting pedal, which made it actually a bit difficult for the starting procedure. So, we sat down and analysed that there was a top layer, a bottom layer and parts on the fingers that connected both layers.  

“Together with him, we actually achieved to get rid of that middle layer, and to put the seam on top of the finger.  

“There was actually no seam anymore in between the finger on the shifting pedal.  

“In the end he said he was pretty happy and that was an important part for him to win the championship actually.”  

Personal taste 

Maurizio Sicco, Puma

Photo by: Puma

Not all requests are based on doing things better in the car. Sicco recalls one strange demand from a driver. 

“I had a request to fit some belt loops to the overalls, even though we got rid of having belts,” he said.  

“I asked, why do you want the loops if we have no belt? He replied that when he was hanging around in the paddock, there weren’t any pockets so he liked to have the loops to put his fingers in…” 

Sicco also recalls an illuminating chat with Hamilton when he first joined Mercedes and they discussed their plans for the partnership. 

“We did some fit tests on the suit and, as he was not new for us, because we did the suit for him for F3 and GP2, it was just a fine-tuning,” he said. 

“But it was interesting how detailed he was, and how helpful to develop the products – even in the way that he explained things to me because I’m not an English native speaker. That was sign of kindness. 

“Then, also, he spent at least 15 minutes explaining me how the caps had to be, with the angle between the brim and the crown.  

“He said it had to be at a certain degree, and he wrote down on paper what he wanted.  

“I was a bit sceptical about how important this all was, but he told me, ‘Maurizio, every grand prix I have a lot of people take pictures of me, and I want to look the right way every time.’ 

“He said he had a bag with him in which he kept six caps without folding them, so the shape would always be perfect. These are the small details that count.” 

Which is exactly why those two grams of weight saving are so important.