Mercedes and Puma are being sued over product legal responsibility claims for negligence after American monitor and discipline athlete Abby Steiner’s profession ended prematurely.
Two-time world champion Steiner has filed a lawsuit towards the Mercedes F1 group and former companion Puma in a lawsuit filed on April 24, 2026. The lawsuit was filed within the Superior Court docket of Middlesex County, Massachusetts.
Though this isn’t an F1-related difficulty, it’s alleged that Mercedes and Puma had been “concerned in and managed the design, growth, testing, manufacture, advertising, promotion, promoting, sale, importation, and distribution of assorted Puma footwear, together with the Puma footwear and parts at difficulty on this grievance.”
Puma was a long-term companion of the Mercedes F1 group, however this relationship ended after the 2024 season and the group partnered with Adidas as an alternative.
The grievance states that she “seeks compensation for important private accidents and damages suffered by Plaintiff after Plaintiff was severely injured by merchandise designed, engineered, examined, developed, manufactured, marketed, marketed, promoted, imported, offered, and distributed by Defendants.”
The merchandise in query spotlight 4 Puma footwear: the Deviate Nitro Elite 2 and three, the evoSpeed Tokyo Nitro, and the evoSPEED Tokyo Nitro 400M, nevertheless it has been made clear that the measure is just not restricted to those 4 producers, however extends to different producers that make the most of particular carbon plate or nitrofoam know-how.
Steiner signed a contract with Puma in 2022, however introduced in August 2025 that he would “take a step again from operating.”
The applying alleges that “as a direct and proximate reason behind Defendants’ negligence and tortious conduct described herein, Plaintiff has suffered and can proceed to endure previous, current, and future bodily and psychological accidents and damages, together with ache and struggling, together with the lack to compete in nationwide and Olympic degree athletics.”
The grievance additional alleges that “Plaintiff suffered extreme and everlasting accidents that resulted in a number of surgical procedures, rehabilitation, and restoration.”
Merchandise with carbon footplates and nitrofoam know-how are mentioned to “change a runner’s biomechanics and the way the stress of operating impacts the physique.” This, in flip, is claimed to have “triggered bone stress accidents” and “elevated the probability of foot damage.”
Mercedes declined to remark when contacted. crash web. Puma has additionally been contacted for remark.
Puma is not the one model utilizing carbon plate know-how. Amongst rival manufacturers, Nike, Adidas, and New Stability additionally supply merchandise with this characteristic.
Mr. Steiner is suing on 5 prices. These embody manufacturing defects, design defects, failure to warn, negligence, and breach of guarantee of health for a selected goal. They’re additionally in search of compensation for accidents and damages.
