According to Fila, Michael Schumacher’s recipe for dominating the 2002 Formula 1 motor racing season contains a secret, ultra-light ingredient: the new racing shoe designed and developed by the company and launched this week at the Fila Sport.Life Store in Piazza del Liberty, Milan.

Schumacher’s new shoes are the result of a joint project between the Fila Advanced Research unit, Ferrari’s designers and the racing driver himself. Called the FMS02, the product is closer to an Olympic sprinter’s footwear rather than a classic race driver’s model – with the added capability to withstand heat.

The project began in 2001 with a meeting at Ferrari’s Maranello headquarters and an investigation into the stresses and strains exerted on the feet during the course of a race. Schumacher himself made a series of specific requests:

1. Reduced weight

2. Improved shock absorption and sole sensitivity – apparently contradictory requests.

3. A close fit – vital in the confined quarters of a Formula 1 cockpit.

A regulatory factor is the compliance with the strict FIA 8856-2000 fire protection regulations. The FMS02 is the first racing shoe to obtain approval to these standards in Italy.

At 183 grams per shoe they are also the lightest racing footwear ever produced.