Hmph, I don't have stubby thumbs or fingers for that matter but my left thumb is without any nerve endings thanks to some engineer's wonderful design of W202 C-Class tail light sockets
BTW, I do have a pair of driving gloves which I got from the BMW dealership. They're great, very thin, nice leather and best of all, only $25/pair!
They do wear though, I'm on my second pair and they're reserved for driving the TR6.