Mercedes confirms lucrative Microsoft sponsorship ahead of W17 launch
Kimi Antonelli and George Russell are preparing for their second season as Mercedes teammates in 2026
The Mercedes F1 team has announced a multi-year partnership with technology giant Microsoft ahead of the F1 2026 season.
Mercedes is set to launch its new car for the F1 2026 season, the W17, on Thursday.
Mercedes confirms Microsoft sponsorship ahead of W17 launch
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It emerged on Wednesday that the Brackley-based team was on the verge of sealing a deal with Microsoft estimated to be worth around $60million per year.
If the estimations are accurate, it would make the Mercedes-Microsoft deal the third-most lucrative on the grid behind the team’s Petronas title sponsorship ($75m annually) and Oracle’s title sponsorship of Red Bull Racing ($100m).
Mercedes confirmed its arrangement with Microsoft on Thursday morning, with the deal coming amid the tech industry’s increasing involvement in F1.
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Toto Wolff, the Mercedes team principal, sold a portion of his shares in the team to cybersecurity company and team sponsor Crowdstrike last year.
Wolff said: “Our sport is driven by those who lead through innovation.
“We are delighted to partner with Microsoft, one of the world’s foremost technology leaders, whose name is synonymous with groundbreaking innovation.
“This partnership also reflects our commitment to staying at the forefront of performance and progress.
“By putting Microsoft’s technology at the centre of how we operate as a team, we will create faster insights, smarter collaboration and new ways of working as we look ahead to the next generation in F1.”
Judson Althoff, the chief executive of Microsoft commercial business, said: “This partnership puts Microsoft’s cloud and enterprise AI technologies at the heart of racing performance, where milliseconds matter and data determines outcomes.
“Together with the Mercedes-AMG PETRONAS F1 Team, we are harnessing data and turning it into real-time intelligence that powers faster decisions, smarter strategies and sustained competitive advantage both on and off the track.”
Richard Sanders, the chief commercial officer of Mercedes, said: “It is a privilege to welcome Microsoft into the Mercedes-AMG PETRONAS F1 Team partner ecosystem.
“Microsoft’s technology already plays a central role in how we operate as a business, and this partnership opens new opportunities to innovate as we look toward the next era of technological development.
“I look forward to seeing how our teams collaborate to unlock new ways of working across the organization.”
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