Special Formula 1 race suits are becoming increasingly important for teams such as Ferrari, Mercedes and Red Bull, but the technology behind their designs goes far beyond marketing. As the 2026 United States Grand Prix approaches, OMP has revealed how advanced sublimation printing can reproduce complex graphics directly on fire-resistant racing fabrics while saving approximately 600 grams compared with traditional production techniques.
Several Formula 1 teams are preparing distinctive liveries or redesigned race suits for the Austin weekend, celebrating one of the championship’s three events in the United States. These occasions have become particularly valuable for commercial promotions, allowing teams to highlight specific races and strengthen relationships with sponsors, especially those associated with the host country. Ferrari has already presented special racewear for Charles Leclerc and Lewis Hamilton at Austin, reflecting the growing importance of these initiatives.
Why special Formula 1 race suits are becoming more popular
The trend has accelerated in recent years as Formula 1’s popularity has grown and teams have placed greater emphasis on promoting their commercial partnerships. Racing Force Group, which supplies Bell helmets to 14 of the 22 drivers on the grid, provides an example of how rapidly demand for special designs has increased.
Between 2022 and 2024, the group carried out just one marketing activation for Formula 1 teams. That figure increased to two special-livery activations in 2025, before reaching eight marketing activations in 2026. The increase illustrates how much more frequently teams are introducing distinctive designs and suggests the trend could continue to grow in the coming years.
However, an important distinction must be made between different types of promotional initiatives. Some involve changing the appearance of the car, while others focus exclusively on the drivers’ race suits without modifying the vehicle itself.
Mercedes provided a recent example at the Singapore Grand Prix. Although the team retained its usual car colours, its drivers wore specially designed suits featuring intricate floral graphics to celebrate the event. Another special design is planned for Austin, where teams are once again using the race weekend to introduce distinctive visual identities.
OMP has become particularly involved in this area. Since 2025, the company has supplied race suits to Mercedes and Audi through its collaboration with Adidas. Beyond the commercial appeal of special designs, however, there is an important technical reason why increasingly elaborate racewear has become possible.
How OMP uses sublimation printing to create lightweight F1 race suits
OMP was the first company in motorsport to introduce a technology known as sublimation printing, which offers significant advantages when applying complex designs to racing suits. The technique has been used in the fashion industry for many years, where elaborate patterns, colours and geometric designs are common.
Applying the same technology to motorsport is considerably more complicated. Formula 1 race suits must comply with strict FIA regulations, particularly those governing fire resistance and protective performance. The fabrics used in racing clothing therefore present challenges that do not necessarily exist in conventional fashion.
Nevertheless, the development of sublimation printing has given Formula 1 marketing departments far greater creative freedom. Detailed designs can now be incorporated into race suits without adding the weight traditionally associated with sponsor logos, decorative patches or other visual elements.
In the early 2000s, sponsor patches and special graphics generally had to be sewn onto racing suits by hand. This process added material and increased the overall weight of the clothing.
Heat-transfer printing subsequently became more widely used from the beginning of the following decade. This technique creates an additional layer over the fabric, as seen on the yellow-and-black Renault race suit worn by Robert Kubica. Although it offers greater design flexibility, the transferred material still introduces a small amount of extra weight.
Sublimation printing works differently. Starting with a white race suit, the design becomes an integral part of the fabric rather than forming a separate layer on its surface. Consequently, creating a standard seasonal suit or a special version featuring particularly complex graphics does not introduce an additional mass penalty through the printed design.
According to OMP, the technology can save approximately 600 grams compared with traditional techniques. Given the considerable resources Formula 1 teams devote to reducing vehicle weight, a saving of this magnitude is particularly significant in the context of motorsport equipment.
OMP explains the technology behind its 600-gram weight saving
Paolo Delprato, President and CEO of Racing Force Group, which includes OMP, explained how the technology was originally developed for karting before being transferred to other motorsport categories.
“It’s a technology that has existed in the fashion world for some time. We developed it in 2016 for karting, where weight is a fundamental aspect,” Paolo Delprato explained in an exclusive interview with Motorsport.com.
The ability to print directly onto white fabric made it possible to reduce the mass associated with conventional graphics and sponsor branding.
“Developing this technology, which allows us to print a sponsor livery directly onto white fabric using a particular technique, led to a very significant reduction in weight. We’re talking about approximately 600 grams for a race suit, so in karting it has even greater value.”
The advantage is not limited to simple designs. The process also enables complicated patterns and graphic arrangements without requiring extra layers of material, creating new possibilities for teams introducing special racewear throughout the season.
Why fire-resistant fabrics made sublimation printing difficult
Despite its advantages, adapting sublimation printing to Formula 1 equipment required extensive research and development. Not every fabric is compatible with the process, and the challenge becomes greater when dealing with fire-resistant materials that must satisfy rigorous FIA standards.
“We brought it from karting into the rest of the racing world. The problem is that fire-resistant fabrics are made from a fibre that is extremely difficult to colour, so a series of developments was necessary,” Paolo Delprato explained.
The first racing suit developed using the technology met FIA homologation requirements but did not yet provide the performance expected from the company’s most advanced products.
“Initially, we had developed a racing suit homologated according to FIA standards, but its performance was not in line with top-of-the-range suits. It was a mid-range product, and we didn’t even offer it to the leading teams. However, over the years, after considerable effort and many hours of research, we managed to develop a version of the suit that could be sublimation printed.”
The research eventually produced a solution that combined the printing process with the performance characteristics required for top-level motorsport.
OMP One Art Air combines lightweight printing with breathability
In recent years, OMP has also introduced the One Art Air race suit, combining sublimation printing with particularly high levels of breathability. The development represents another important step in the company’s efforts to improve the comfort and performance of racing equipment without compromising its protective properties.
“Above all, it’s a particularly high-performance suit, both in terms of weight and other characteristics, including breathability. The result is that it is the most breathable suit in the world,” Paolo Delprato added during the Motorsport.com interview.
The latest generation of this suit made its first appearance at the Singapore Grand Prix, where Mercedes used it as part of the exclusive supply collaboration between OMP and Adidas.
Its introduction demonstrates how the development of special racewear is no longer simply a question of creating a different appearance. Manufacturers must also consider weight, the characteristics of fire-resistant materials and the comfort requirements of Formula 1 drivers.
How quickly can OMP produce a special Formula 1 race suit?
The advances in printing technology have also made it possible to create increasingly complicated commemorative designs more frequently. One example was the wolf-themed Mercedes race suit worn in Japan to celebrate a sponsor partnership. Without this particular printing technique, producing such an elaborate design would not have been possible in the same way.
Production time is another important consideration, particularly because Formula 1 teams do not always plan their promotional activities according to the same schedule.
Some organisations establish their special-livery programmes well in advance, identifying at the beginning of the season which Grands Prix will feature distinctive designs. Others make promotional decisions much closer to the event, creating situations in which production speed becomes essential.
OMP has developed the ability to respond to these short deadlines, even managing to produce a special race suit in a single day.
“Special liveries are often decided very close to the race, and this is the enormous advantage of the technology we have developed. We are able to produce a suit in a very short time. We have even managed to develop a suit in just one day, with extremely complicated liveries, and obviously this allows us to keep up with the teams’ requests.”
The increasing demand for special designs helps explain why this flexibility has become so valuable. With promotional initiatives rising sharply between 2025 and 2026, suppliers must be able to combine technical performance with increasingly ambitious creative requirements.
Special Austin racewear highlights a growing Formula 1 trend
The United States Grand Prix offers another example of how the commercial presentation of Formula 1 teams is evolving. Ferrari, Mercedes, Red Bull and other competitors are using special designs to create a distinctive appearance for the American weekend, while racewear manufacturers continue developing the technologies needed to support increasingly complex concepts.
Ferrari’s wider Austin presentation also includes a special SF-26 livery initiative for the United States Grand Prix, placing the team’s visual identity alongside its preparations for the race. The event takes place at the Circuit of the Americas, with the complete programme available in the 2026 United States Grand Prix schedule and Austin guide.
For racewear suppliers such as OMP, the growing number of special designs is creating new demands in both production and technology. Sublimation printing has made it possible to meet those requirements while reducing weight, preserving the properties of racing fabrics and shortening manufacturing times, demonstrating that the technology behind a Formula 1 race suit can be considerably more sophisticated than its appearance suggests.
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