Athlete sues Mercedes and Puma over career-ending ‘dangerous’ shoes

Mercedes and Puma are being sued by American monitor and area athlete Abby Steiner for alleged negligent product legal responsibility, after her profession got here to a untimely finish.

Two-time world champion Steiner has taken motion towards the Mercedes Components 1 staff and former associate Puma, in a lawsuit filed on 24 April, 2026. The lawsuit has been filed in Middlesex County Superior Courtroom in Massachusetts.

Whereas this isn’t an F1-related matter, it’s claimed that Mercedes and Puma had been “concerned in and had management over the design, growth, testing, manufacture, advertising, promotion, commercial, sale, importation and distribution of quite a lot of PUMA footwear, together with the PUMA SHOES and element components at subject on this Criticism.”

Puma was a long-term associate of the Mercedes F1 staff, however this relationship got here to an finish following the 2024 season, with the staff as an alternative becoming a member of with Adidas. 

Within the submitting, it’s acknowledged that she is “in search of restoration for substantial private accidents and damages suffered by Plaintiff after Plaintiff was severely injured by merchandise designed, engineered, examined, developed, manufactured, marketed, marketed, promoted, imported, bought and distributed by Defendants.”

The merchandise in query see 4 Puma footwear highlighted – Deviate Nitro Elite 2 and three, evoSpeed Tokyo Nitro, evoSPEED Tokyo Nitro 400M – though it’s made clear that this motion is just not restricted to those 4 makes, and expands to any others that make use of particular carbon plate or nitrofoam know-how.

Steiner signed a contract with Puma in 2022, however introduced in August 2025 that she was “taking a step again from operating”.

The submitting claims that: “As a direct and proximate reason for Defendants’ negligence and wrongful misconduct as described herein, Plaintiff has suffered and can proceed to endure bodily and emotional accidents and damages together with previous, current, and future ache and struggling, together with the shortcoming to compete in monitor and area on the nationwide and Olympic ranges.”

The submitting additional alleges: “[The] Plaintiff developed extreme and everlasting accidents leading to a number of surgical procedures, rehabilitations and restoration.”

It’s alleged that merchandise with the carbon footplate and/or nitrofoam know-how “alters the biomechanics of runners or the way by which the stresses of operating influence their our bodies”. In flip that is alleged to have “brought on bone stress accidents” and “elevated the chance of foot accidents”.

Mercedes declined to remark when contacted by Crash.web. Puma has additionally been approached for remark. 

Puma is way from the one model to make use of carbon plate know-how, with rival manufacturers Nike, Adidas, and New Steadiness amongst these to supply merchandise which have this characteristic.

Steiner is suing on 5 counts. These are: manufacturing defect, design defect, failure to warn, negligence, and breach of guarantee for health for a selected function. She can be in search of compensation for accidents and damages.