diff --git a/pkg/kubelet/cm/dra/manager.go b/pkg/kubelet/cm/dra/manager.go
index 7ef397bfcd4..2596646c473 100644
--- a/pkg/kubelet/cm/dra/manager.go
+++ b/pkg/kubelet/cm/dra/manager.go
@@ -67,7 +67,8 @@ func NewManagerImpl(kubeClient clientset.Interface, stateFileDirectory string) (
 // containerResources on success.
 func (m *ManagerImpl) PrepareResources(pod *v1.Pod) error {
 	for i := range pod.Spec.ResourceClaims {
-		claimName := resourceclaim.Name(pod, &pod.Spec.ResourceClaims[i])
+		podClaim := &pod.Spec.ResourceClaims[i]
+		claimName := resourceclaim.Name(pod, podClaim)
 		klog.V(3).InfoS("Processing resource", "claim", claimName, "pod", pod.Name)
 
 		// Query claim object from the API server
@@ -85,6 +86,13 @@ func (m *ManagerImpl) PrepareResources(pod *v1.Pod) error {
 				pod.Name, pod.UID, claimName, resourceClaim.UID)
 		}
 
+		// If no container actually uses the claim, then we don't need
+		// to prepare it.
+		if !claimIsUsedByPod(podClaim, pod) {
+			klog.V(5).InfoS("Skipping unused resource", "claim", claimName, "pod", pod.Name)
+			continue
+		}
+
 		// Is the resource already prepared? Then add the pod UID to it.
 		if claimInfo := m.cache.get(claimName, pod.Namespace); claimInfo != nil {
 			// We delay checkpointing of this change until this call
@@ -178,6 +186,34 @@ func (m *ManagerImpl) PrepareResources(pod *v1.Pod) error {
 	return nil
 }
 
+func claimIsUsedByPod(podClaim *v1.PodResourceClaim, pod *v1.Pod) bool {
+	if claimIsUsedByContainers(podClaim, pod.Spec.InitContainers) {
+		return true
+	}
+	if claimIsUsedByContainers(podClaim, pod.Spec.Containers) {
+		return true
+	}
+	return false
+}
+
+func claimIsUsedByContainers(podClaim *v1.PodResourceClaim, containers []v1.Container) bool {
+	for i := range containers {
+		if claimIsUsedByContainer(podClaim, &containers[i]) {
+			return true
+		}
+	}
+	return false
+}
+
+func claimIsUsedByContainer(podClaim *v1.PodResourceClaim, container *v1.Container) bool {
+	for _, c := range container.Resources.Claims {
+		if c.Name == podClaim.Name {
+			return true
+		}
+	}
+	return false
+}
+
 // GetResources gets a ContainerInfo object from the claimInfo cache.
 // This information is used by the caller to update a container config.
 func (m *ManagerImpl) GetResources(pod *v1.Pod, container *v1.Container) (*ContainerInfo, error) {