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 in opposition to the Mercedes Method 1 workforce and former accomplice Puma, in a lawsuit filed on 24 April, 2026. The lawsuit has been filed in Middlesex County Superior Court docket 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, improvement, testing, manufacture, advertising and marketing, promotion, commercial, sale, importation and distribution of quite a lot of PUMA footwear, together with the PUMA SHOES and part elements at situation on this Grievance.”

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

Within the submitting, it’s said that she is “looking for restoration for substantial private accidents and damages suffered by Plaintiff after Plaintiff was critically injured by merchandise designed, engineered, examined, developed, manufactured, marketed, marketed, promoted, imported, offered and distributed by Defendants.”

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

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 undergo 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 expertise “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.internet. Puma has additionally been approached for remark. 

Puma is much from the one model to make use of carbon plate expertise, with rival manufacturers Nike, Adidas, and New Stability 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 looking for compensation for accidents and damages.