Driven to destruction — and that makes race-worn gloves a collector’s dream

Of all the trends, I’ve always found gloves a bit niche. Popular pieces tend to be helmets and race suits, especially from modern drivers with their funky designs, but gloves essentially exist to take the brunt of a grand prix, so are often the worse for wear by the end.

Regardless, there’s a strong market as gloves can be readily attainable, reasonably priced, easily signed and can be framed-up nicely for presentation. There’s an image of Ayrton Senna after qualifying at the 1989 Monaco GP, left hand off the wheel yet his glove is still wrapped around it, showing how tightly he was gripping the wheel, inset. This is the punishment race-used gloves go through. They’ll be creased, discoloured, frayed… the works, but that does add a patina that’s almost impossible to fake.

Senna used to be near-religious about his gloves, and would use a single pair until they fell apart. He was also the first to wear them inside out, saying he got a better feel with the seams outward. After that, the majority of gloves were made with external seams.

Almost all genuine race-worn gloves will have been marked inside for identification, with the driver’s initials or name. This is purely not to mix them up after laundry, or transport, but it also adds a nice personal touch.

Back in the day, drivers would use ordinary driving gloves, string-backed, leather palmed, which just didn’t survive, so you’re only looking at gloves from the mid-1970s onwards, when fire protection became the driving force. There are several brands: Stand 21, OMP, Simpson and Sparco, which produced the majority of F1 gloves; in the modern age Alpinestars and Puma have joined that list.

There’s also now a trend of drivers throwing gloves to fans after races. Only having one is fine, but a matching pair will always be better, and just like vases, a pair is worth more than double just one.

Andrew Francis is director at The Signature Store. thesignaturestore.co.uk

James Francis Monaco Art

Original Monaco race posters cost a pretty penny these days but new stylish artworks by James Francis of Some Design give a modern spin, showing John Surtees (1964), Gilles Villeneuve (1981) and Ayrton Senna (1987), above. A2 digital print. £39.95, thesignaturestore.co.uk

Pure McLaren Scooter

Yes, it’s illegal to use e-scooters on the road or in public spaces, but if you need to get around the paddock in a hurry how about this, which is decked out like Ayrton Senna and Alain Prost’s McLaren MP4/4? It has a 31-mile range and top speed of 15½mph. £999, pureelectric.com

Ridge GT card wallet

Ridge has been making aluminium card wallets for over 10 years, and its latest pays homage to a sports car icon. Bearing the Gulf colours of the 1969 John Wyer Ford GT40, it fits up to 12 cards and features RFID blocking to prevent contactless theft. £79, ridgewallet.co.uk

LN4 Football Shirts

Lando Norris is a merchandising machine. Don’t expect this latest range of football-inspired shirts to hang around long. Home (yellow) and away (dark), both feature embroidered signature and NORRIS 4 on the back. And there’s a fitted version for ladies. From £55, landonorrisstore.com

Volkswagen Currywurst microwave ready meal

What’s the best-selling Volkswagen – Golf, Polo, Up!? No, it’s sausages. VW has been whipping up Currywurst in its Wolfsburg butchery since 1973. The new ready meal version will be in selected Edeka and Netto supermarkets in Germany. £3.40

Ray-Ban scuderia Ferrari Collection Phantos

Tackle summer glare with Ray-Ban’s range of Ferrari-flavoured sunglasses. Our pick goes to these phantos frames, available in various tints, in which you can hide your tears at yet another botched strategy call. From £255, ray-ban.com