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How PUMA and driver Christian Danner shaped a shoe for real racing demands in the 1980s
15 de mayo de 2026
Christian Danner is one of the most versatile German racing drivers of his generation: Europe’s very first F3000 champion, he entered Formula 1 and later also competed in German touring-car series DTM and IndyCar in the US. In the 80s, he worked with PUMA which supplied his shoes and later also his overalls. During a visit to Herzogenaurach earlier this year, he talked about his career in motorsport and how he developed racing shoes with PUMA.
Christian realized early on that driver shoes were often too soft. For a normal foot, that might have been a minor detail. For a racing driver in a single-seater in the 80s, it was a problem, as the cars were a far cry from the highly automated machines we see today. When braking before a corner back then, you had to shift down, push the clutch, blip the throttle, sort the gearbox and stabilize the car – all within just a few centimeters of space in the footwell. That made the shoe one of the most important tools a driver had.
It takes Christian only a few sentences, and suddenly you are no longer in a meeting room in Herzogenaurach, but in the cockpit of a single seater the 1980s. Three pedals, a tight cockpit, a brake that demanded serious force, an accelerator that has to be tapped briefly at exactly the right moment. “Blip, blip,” says Christian, placing his hands closely on top of each other to show how little room there was between brake, clutch and throttle.
”You needed a shoe with a really stable sole.“
“Today you only have two pedals, throttle and brake, and the rest happens up here,” he says. “We had three pedals and a proper gearbox. First, second, third, fourth gear – and then back down and back up again.” At first, that sounds like a technical explanation. With Danner, it becomes a physical movement.
And that is exactly why Christian required a shoe that works with him. “You needed a shoe with a really stable sole,” he says. When blipping the throttle, the right foot works the same spot again and again, sending the load straight into the sole. “You practically drove a hole into the middle of the shoe.” The left foot had it easier: it pushed the clutch. The right foot had to brake and accelerate – constantly working on the edge.
And that is exactly why Christian required a shoe that works with him. “You needed a shoe with a really stable sole,” he says. When blipping the throttle, the right foot works the same spot again and again, sending the load straight into the sole. “You practically drove a hole into the middle of the shoe.” The left foot had it easier: it pushed the clutch. The right foot had to brake and accelerate – constantly working on the edge.
“I wanted to be involved. Because you can´t just drive with any shoe.”
In 1983, the collaboration with PUMA began. Christian knew exactly what he needed: a shoe that fit tightly, stayed stable and transferred the contact with the pedal directly. In an Eighties formula car, this was part of control. For PUMA, it was a direct entry into motorsport. For a long time, racing driver shoes mainly came from specialist workshops, often handcrafted, but rarely developed systematically from the driver’s perspective: What happens under braking? Where does the foot work? How much space is there between the pedals? How stiff does the sole need to be? How tightly should the shoe fit?
“Back then, there was nothing like modern materials. There was leather, rubber and laces.”
Then and now, feedback is crucial at PUMA to develop the best possible products to help athletes perform at their best. Christian brought valuable insights from inside the cockpit, something which designers could only understand through exchange with the driver: feeling the pedal. He explained how the sole behaves in the car, where it is loaded, why it has to remain stable. PUMA brought in its expertise in shoe development: cut, material, construction, fit. As material choices were limited at the time – leather, rubber, laces – the construction of the shoe had to be just right.
The first prototype was pleasant to wear: soft, generously cut – but ultimately a little too much of everything. In the racing car, the shoe therefore delivered too little precision. So it was sharpened. Tighter. More stable. More direct.
This was exactly where the importance of the collaboration with the driver became clear: as a feedback loop between driver and manufacturer. Christian tested, explained, criticized. PUMA adapted. Expert knowledge turned into development. A shoe with a logo became a tool built to withstand the demands of the car.
The first prototype was pleasant to wear: soft, generously cut – but ultimately a little too much of everything. In the racing car, the shoe therefore delivered too little precision. So it was sharpened. Tighter. More stable. More direct.
This was exactly where the importance of the collaboration with the driver became clear: as a feedback loop between driver and manufacturer. Christian tested, explained, criticized. PUMA adapted. Expert knowledge turned into development. A shoe with a logo became a tool built to withstand the demands of the car.
”I had two pairs of shoes for the whole year. And that was enough.”
When Christian Danner started with PUMA in 1984, the PUMA logo was emblazoned on his shoes, later also on the overalls – impossible to miss. But equipment was precious back then. A racing suit had to last a whole season, was washed after the weekend and worn again at the next race. Shoes, too, were working materials. “I had two pairs of shoes for the whole year,” says Danner. “And that was enough. One red pair and one blue pair, I think.” Instead of changing colors for every race, one thing mattered above all: it had to work in the cockpit.
Christian stayed loyal to PUMA throughout his Formula 1 years. He raced with PUMA in Japan, in Formula 1 and in other racing series. He wore the shoes, overalls and also the brand’s casual sportswear: polos, pullovers, sportswear. To this day, the exceptional athlete is active in motorsport: as an expert, commentator, consultant and networker.
The right shoe does not change physics. But it does help determine how directly the driver can feel the car. That is why PUMA continues to work with drivers in motorsport until this day to help them perform at their best.
The right shoe does not change physics. But it does help determine how directly the driver can feel the car. That is why PUMA continues to work with drivers in motorsport until this day to help them perform at their best.
CATch up ahora habla más idiomas
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