2021 marks the 25th anniversary of McLaren Racing’s partnership with Sparco – a partnership that focuses on ensuring the highest level of safety for our drivers and our racing team, as well as continuous innovation: less weight, more comfort and new technologies. In our 25 years together, some of the best McLaren and even Formula 1 drivers have been outfitted with Sparco racing clothing, from gloves to boots to suits. And we thought we’d take a closer look at how the latter has developed over the past few decades …
A new standard
Sparco’s suit history began in 1978 with the Standard – a suit that was anything but “standard”. Made from Kevlar, it could withstand fire for up to 11 seconds. Further iterations of the suit followed, thanks to the innovative use of Nomex – a material made of fire-resistant fibers that increases safety and breathability – and a knitted lining on the outer fabric, which reduces weight and significantly increases comfort.
take two
Motorsport is widely regarded as the ultimate innovation laboratory and that was no different for Sparco as it seeks to constantly develop its racing suits by combining safety, lightness and comfort with exquisite craftsmanship and the latest material technology. For example, the Sparco2 suit worn by McLaren F1 drivers Mika Häkkinen and David Coulthard between 1997 and 2002 weighed almost 20% less than the previous suits.
In 2010, the Superleggera hit the market, which, as the name suggests, was even lighter and was the lightest suit that received the FIA 8856-2000 homologation techniques.
Prime time
A decade later, the requirements for FIA homologation changed: suits had to withstand the fire for 12 instead of 11 seconds – to ensure that the body temperature of the person wearing the suit did not exceed 24 ° C during this time. A one second increase might not sound like much, but to achieve it you had to add the weight of the suit, and so came the Prime PRO. Worn by McLaren F1 drivers Lando Norris and Daniel Ricciardo, it represents the ultimate innovation in racing suits and is one of the lightest suits with the latest FIA homologation.
The suit consists of four layers of fabric in a sandwich construction, with two antistatic layers between an outer layer made of Nomex fabric and an inner lining made of meta-aramid microfiber, which is resistant to high temperatures and abrasion. In order to improve the safety, mobility and comfort of the driver during the race, the Prime PRO has a lightweight, double-sliding zip that is concealed by a fire-resistant cover flap; ultra-thin collar; seamless cuffs; extra flat seams; and tailored elastic inserts. The suit is also incredibly strong as the revised FIA regulations require the shoulder straps to withstand a tensile force of 375N on each shoulder.
The part looks like this too. Sparco’s production processes and screen printing technologies mean that the Prime PRO’s visual appearance is fully customizable and Sparco can accurately reproduce any color, be it papaya or Gulf Racing Blue. The story doesn’t end there, however; Sparco is about to write the next chapter with the introduction of the new Superleggera, in which Lando and Daniel are “dressed” in a suit that weighs 140 g less than the Prime PRO.
For the coming months, keep an eye on McLaren Racing’s channels for the shared history of McLaren Racing and Sparco.
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