Adidas announce groundbreaking partnership with Mercedes-AMG F1 Team
The Mercedes AMG Petronas F1 Team have announced a multi-year deal with German sportswear giant Adidas, officially marking the brand’s entry into Formula 1.
The partnership is set to begin at the start of the 2025 season and symbolises Adidas’s upward trajectory.
And as Adidas accelerates into new territory, there is a sense that Nike is falling behind in the face of innovation.
Sports News Blitz writer Samy Aouati reports on the story.
Hamilton’s departure leads to sponsor shake-up at Mercedes
Mercedes were previously partnered with Puma and Tommy Hilfiger through former driver and seven-time World Drivers’ Champion Lewis Hamilton.
However, those brand deals ended upon the Briton’s move to Ferrari.
Adidas have now taken full advantage of the situation as part of a new business strategy kicked off by the high-profile relaunch of the Adidas Predator football boot in 2024.
Combining nostalgia with groundbreaking innovation, that announcement signalled the dawn of a more forward-thinking era at the German brand.
In direct contrast, rivals Nike have flirted with the idea of bringing retro-style boots back but are yet to come to a decision in what some are characterising as a worrying stagnation.
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F1 sponsorship part of bold new strategy for Adidas
As Adidas enters F1, it aims to engage a larger audience by partnering with the most decorated team in motorsport.
“Interest in motorsport in general and Formula 1 in particular has been growing a lot,” Adidas CEO Bjorn Gulden stated.
“It is reaching new consumers and has a big influence on sport and street culture.”
Entering the world of F1 is the latest bold move by a company that has shown time and again that it is willing to take risks in order to innovate.
And while Nike’s dominance of basketball and running remains intact, sticking to what works may end up holding them back in an increasingly diverse sports landscape.
As a result, for the first time in years, it appears as if Adidas has the edge over their rivals.
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Latest round of famous rivalry
With the two brands having a long-standing tit for tat when it comes to football, this latest move by Adidas might shift the rivalry to the F1 arena.
Indeed, Nike could send shockwaves through the sport by securing a deal with, say, McLaren Racing.
Such a scenario would continue a pattern of one-upmanship between the two brands.
For example, Germany shocked the football world when it announced a partnership with Nike in 2024, in the process ending an association with Adidas since the 1950s.
That is to say nothing of the fight for the young LeBron James’ signature in 2003 as he entered the NBA.
Ultimately, Adidas are sending out a message by partnering with Mercedes, and it will be interesting to see how their rivals respond.
The race for sportswear supremacy is far from over.
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