World champion sprinter sues Mercedes F1 team: 'Unsafe, dangerous and defective'

Photo: © IMAGO

Mercedes

World champion sprinter sues Mercedes F1 team: 'Unsafe, dangerous and defective'

Abby Steiner is a world champion sprinter

Sam Cook Digital Journalist

Sports Journalist who has been covering motorsport since 2023

Thursday 30 April 2026 12:54

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A world champion runner has begun legal action against Puma and the Mercedes F1 team.

26-year-old Abby Steiner was at the top of her game just a few years ago, claiming two World Championship gold medals in 2022, as well as having claimed four NCAA titles across 2021 and 2022.

American Steiner holds the US indoor record for the 200m and 300m, as well as the NCAA record for 200m.

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However, she has not competed professionally since the US Olympic Trials in 2024, an event in which she finished sixth in the 200m dash and failed to make the US athletics team for the 2024 Paris Olympics.

That event had followed a 2023 season and early 2024 that were plagued with injuries, with Steiner having to pull out of several huge events.

These injuries were mainly foot injuries, and Steiner had procedures done on her feet three times between 2023-2025. Finally in August 2025, she revealed that she would be taking an extended break from all forms of running and instead focusing on a master's degree in exercise science.

Now, according to Front Office Sports, Steiner has sued Puma and the Mercedes F1 team for the shoes that were produced by the footwear company, claiming that they were 'defective' and 'unsafe'.

Steiner alleges that Puma’s shoes increased the risk of injuries through their design and use of carbon fibre plate and nitro foam technology.

She has said that the Puma Deviate Nitro Elite 2 and 3, as well as the evoSPEED Tokyo Nitro shoes have exacerbated her injuries and prevented her from competing in professional and Olympic-level events.

Steiner is therefore seeking both financial and non-financial compensation from Puma, with damages including medical expenses, losses of potential earnings from her running career and 'the loss of full enjoyment of life and disfigurement.'

What does Mercedes F1 team have to do with the shoes?

While Mercedes' merchandise sponsors are now Adidas, they previously had a partnership with Puma, and Steiner's lawsuit alleges that the two brands promoted the products as safe to wear.

Mercedes' partnership with Puma went both ways, and they helped with the design of some of the specialist shoes released by the brand.

Steiner's lawsuit was filed in a Massachusetts court on April 24, and will likely take some time before any hearings are heard in the court.

GPFans have contacted Mercedes for comment.

F1 Mercedes Puma