OMP’s Trial by Fire
There are pieces of Formula 1 history that come to us after having lived their life cycle on the track and, perhaps, having passed the proverbial trial by fire. Sometimes even literally: this is the case of some of the “relics” that can be admired in the mini-museum of the renewed OMP headquarters in Ronco Scrivia (near Genoa, which FormulaPassion.it recently had the opportunity to visit). The Italian company is part of Racing Force Group, and today it produces on behalf of Adidas the suits, gloves, and all the fireproof track clothing for the Formula 1 World Championship leader, Andrea Kimi Antonelli, but also for his teammate at Mercedes, George Russell, and the two Audi drivers, Nico Hulkenberg and Gabriel Bortoleto. A long and successful tradition in F1, which however experienced a clear turning point on April 23, 1989.
Gerhard Berger and the Imola Fire
It is the day of the terrible accident of Gerhard Berger with Ferrari at Imola, at the Tamburello corner, culminating in a fire that engulfs the Austrian driver’s Red car for a full 23 seconds before the marshals manage to extinguish the flames. A fire from which the Ferrari driver emerges essentially unscathed, with some minor burns and a fractured rib that forces him to miss only the next GP. A decidedly happy ending story, considering the corner, the circuit, and the safety standards of the time, which today is remembered with particular pride by OMP, which supplied Berger with suit, undersuit, and gloves. And which today proudly displays that very pair of scorched gloves as a medal of valor, which the former Austrian driver surprisingly found during a visit to the company.
Berger Finds His Gloves Again
To testify to the “Wow, what a surprise!” moment is a video published on OMP’s social media, showing Gerhard Berger particularly smiling at the sight of the object that saved his hands. Arriving at Ronco Scrivia as a regular customer to purchase racing suits for his son Johan, who at 9 years old races karts with the dream of following in his father’s footsteps, the 66-year-old Austrian was struck to find his 1989 Imola gloves while walking through the corridors of the headquarters: “I didn’t know where they had ended up and I just realized you had them! I’m always happy to visit old friends and OMP was my supplier for a long time and we share many moments, like the one at Imola… I was engulfed in flames for a long time, a rather serious accident but I survived. But everything worked properly, like these gloves”.
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“Shortly before Imola – he adds – I went to visit Kris Nissen, who had suffered a serious accident in Japan. His car caught fire, but under his suit he only had a t-shirt and he suffered burns all over his body. I told myself that from then on I would never wear a simple t-shirt again but only fireproof material. And that, at Imola, was my luck. Even if it’s hot, you have to take all possible precautions. What OMP does for drivers is very important, being always involved in accidents. Fire can be a threat, and having valid protection is fundamental. There is a lot of technology behind the making of racing clothing with many aspects that maybe are not seen from outside. One might think they are just work clothes, but that’s not the case.”
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A Decisive Push for Safety
At the time, the regulations were sometimes applied rather loosely, to the point that it often became a choice of the drivers what to wear on track, under the racing suit. Now, however, with great advances also in regulations, it is the Federation that imposes very high standards – sometimes not without controversy – to guarantee the highest level of safety. A milestone that OMP has helped to achieve by continuing to push innovation, research, and development of lighter, comfortable but at the same time increasingly technological and cutting-edge materials in terms of driver protection in case of accidents and fires.
“I had been at the company for a few months – recalls Luigi Rossi, marketing director of Racing Force Group – and Berger was the first F1 driver personally followed in product definition. I saw the accident live on TV and, I admit, after all those seconds of flames I thought at the moment of changing jobs. But everything went well, for Gerhard Berger and for us. Our merit was above all to work following the regulations. From that moment our seriousness and quality were recognized worldwide, giving OMP a decisive push. We didn’t stop, on the contrary, we immediately started developing even more protective elements.”
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