WhatsApp and Mercedes -AMG F1 Team launch a new partnership

WhatsApp and Mercedes-AMG Petronas F1 Team are forming a multi-year partnership that will take fans into the heart of the action with the eight-time World Champions. With the privacy and security provided by WhatsApp, team followers will be given exclusive opportunities to engage with Mercedes-AMG F1 and access unique content.

Click here to subscribe to our print edition!

WhatsApp is the world’s leading private messaging service that connects over two billion people globally. Mercedes-AMG F1 relies on WhatsApp as the go-to messaging app to collaborate, champion one another, and maintain crucial real-time coordination during 23 races a year on multiple continents. For years, WhatsApp chats have been part of the culture of success of the Mercedes-AMG F1 team, enabling fast and efficient decision-making on and off the track.

In September, Mercedes-AMG F1 was an early adopter of the new WhatsApp Channels broadcast feature to share with fans behind-the-scenes experiences, insights, and realities of preparing for race weekends and fighting for podiums. The new partnership was announced exclusively via the Mercedes-AMG PETRONAS F1 Team WhatsApp Channel earlier today.

WhatsApp and the team signed this new partnership on the eve of the Las Vegas Grand Prix. There will be plenty of fun surprises for fans in Las Vegas and watching from home, with exclusive and bespoke content planned for the weekend.

Over the last two years, WhatsApp has developed critically acclaimed long-form and bite-sized content that reveals the role WhatsApp plays in the lives of athletes to connect them with loved ones far from home and provide a private space for the communication that matters most. Examples include Naija Odyssey, a film with Giannis Antetokounmpo, and We Are Ayenda featuring the Afghan Youth Women’s National Football team.

Toto Wolff, CEO and Team Principal of Mercedes-AMG Petronas F1 Team, said:

WhatsApp is critical in communications across everything we do at Mercedes-AMG F1. Coordinating our operations, sharing ideas, and supporting one another through the journey of each season brings the team closer together. It also helps accelerate the speed of communication and decision-making across the organization. I can’t think of a more natural partnership as two innovative and forward-thinking brands.

We look forward to working with WhatsApp and bringing the breadth of our stories to life in innovative and original ways.

Will Cathcart, Head of WhatsApp, said:

We’ve been amazed at how the Mercedes-AMG Petronas F1 Team relies on WhatsApp to keep the organization running. The leadership and values they have demonstrated to push motorsport forward for years have been inspiring. I’m proud we’ll work together to reveal how WhatsApp brings their team together and fans closer to the action.

About WhatsApp

WhatsApp is the world’s leading communication service, providing over two billion people with private and secure texting and calling. WhatsApp is free for iPhone and Android devices and excels at delivering cross-platform communication for groups on mobile or desktop. This year, WhatsApp launched “Channels”, a new way to receive private updates from people and organizations, which surpassed over 500 million users in its first two months. WhatsApp also provides large and small businesses with advanced tools for customer service and other business messaging needs.