How Geox aims to emulate F1 success in Formula E

Italian footwear manufacturer Geox – which specialises in ‘breathable’ and lightweight sole systems – joined Red Bull’s roster of partners in 2011 during its period of F1 domination with Sebastian Vettel.  

Sebastian Vettel, Red Bull Racing RB8 passes Charles Pic, Marussia F1 Team MR01

Photo by: Sutton Images

The Formula E team will be called Geox Dragon Racing in a deal that stretches to 2021. And despite heavyweight opposition from manufacturer teams including Audi, BMW, Jaguar, Nissan, Mahindra and DS, it aims to be successful from the start.

“If you invest, you do it to win,” says Geox President and company founder Mario Moretti Polegato. “In the first year, we will have to understand some things, but the goal must be to win.

“With Red Bull and Vettel we gained a lot of experience, the driver is an athlete and he generates heat, but he’s not the only one, even the car does. So we looked for solutions that helped to control the temperatures.

“Thanks to F1, transpiration holes in the lower surface became bigger. So, this ‘transition’ will go on thanks to a technical team that will attend races to improve the technologies and will take them to the [footwear] industry.”

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Maximilian Günther and Antonio Fuoco with Mario Moretti Polegato, President and Founder of GEOX

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Photo by: Dragon Racing

In terms of the factory giants that Dragon will be facing, Polegato likens his company’s size and global reach to that of Ferrari – another figurehead for Italian-based manufacturing.

“I can’t compare myself to these companies, that have different measures,” he added. “But we are a worldwide company that works in 115 countries and that will take the Italian flag all over the world.

“On one hand, there’s Ferrari, on the other hand, there’s us. We will have racing, our trademark, in a single way.”

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Jose Maria Lopez, Dragon Racing

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Photo by: Malcolm Griffiths / LAT Images

Jose Maria Lopez, GEOX Dragon Racing, Penske EV-3

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Jose Maria Lopez, GEOX Dragon Racing, Penske EV-3

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Jose Maria Lopez, GEOX Dragon Racing, Penske EV-3, Antonio Felix da Costa, BMW I Andretti Motorsports, BMW iFE.18

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Maximilian Günther, Dragon Racing, Penske EV-3 with the new hyper boost LED lights on the halo

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Maximilian Günther, Dragon Racing, Penske EV-3

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Photo by: Alastair Staley / LAT Images