Adidas Is the Latest Athletic Brand to Enter F1 With New Mercedes-AMG Petronas Deal
Adidas is getting in on the Formula One hype for the first time with a new partnership.
According to the German athletic brand brand, it has inked a new multi-year partnership with the Mercedes-AMG Petronas F1 Team. As part of the deal, Adidas said it will create a complete range of apparel, footwear and accessories for the entire Mercedes-AMG Petronas F1 team – including drivers, mechanics and engineers – as well as the team’s fanbase.
The first Adidas x Mercedes-AMG Petronas F1 Team range is expected to be unveiled in February, as all attention turns to the 2025 season. Several limited-edition drops are also planned throughout the year, Adidas said.
Bjørn Gulden, chief executive officer of Adidas, said in a statement on Tuesday that the company is “extremely proud” to introduce the Three Stripes into F1 as an official team partner.
“Together, we share the passion for speed, innovation and performance,” Gulden said. “We will support the drivers and the team to push the limits on the track. Off the track we will bring a fresh perspective to the sport by introducing exciting lifestyle product and extending the reach to a new generation of fans. We look forward to supporting Mercedes-AMG Petronas F1 and win together.”
“Our partnership with Adidas is a clear statement of intent as we begin to write our next chapter as a team,” Toto Wolff, co-owner, team principal and CEO of the Mercedes-AMG Petronas F1 Team added. “Adidas is an iconic brand, one that shares our dedication not only to peak performance but to style and sophistication too. This announcement therefore represents a groundbreaking collaboration that will redefine what team and fanwear means in our sport. We are excited to break this new ground and work with adidas as we collectively strive to fight for world championships.”
This new partnership comes as many Adidas competitors work to make a splash in the Formula One space. Most notably, Puma is making headway in the sport with its tie-up with A$AP Rocky. The duo, which nabbed the Collaboration of the Year Award at the 2024 FNAAs, is heavily inspired by motorsports and F1.
In fact, since Rocky joined Puma in late 2023 as the creative director for the brand’s Formula One partnership, the music star has incorporated motorsport design elements across all of his offerings from apparel to footwear and accessories. And with the rising popularity of F1 in the U.S., the timing of this buzzy partnership couldn’t be better.
In 2022, K-Swiss teamed up with McLaren Racing on a multiyear deal that marked a series of firsts for both companies. Best known as a heritage tennis label, K-Swiss will venture into Formula 1 racing for the first time — and for McLaren, this marks its first footwear partnership.