adidas and Mercedes, the unexpected marriage. The 2025 season was already shaping up to be a year of transition for the Mercedes Formula 1 team. With Lewis Hamilton leaving for Ferrari and George Russell arriving as the team's first option, the upcoming season looked different from previous years. Today, the team has redoubled its efforts to reinvent itself, choosing not to renew its long-standing partnerships with Puma and Tommy Hilfiger, and turning to a historic rival: adidas.
Puma reigns supreme in the world of motorsport, and remains the best clothing brand of this generation in the field. The German giant has long held a global license with F1 itself and has a number of teams under contract in F1 and other circuits, including Ferrari, Kick Sauber, Alfa Romeo, Williams, Porsche and BMW. Thanks to this license, Puma establishes itself as the official supplier of uniforms, shoes and clothing to both the teams and their legions of fans.
adidas, another approach to style
With the relative control they have exercised over motorsport, it has been difficult for competitors to establish themselves there. Auto racing has finally exploded in the United States in recent years thanks to the enormous popularity of the documentary series Formula 1: Drivers of their destiny from Netflix, but fans have not yet gotten into the habit of wearing Puma's Ferrari outfits as is the case in the United Kingdom, for example. Puma brought in A$AP Rocky as creative director for F1 in 2023, and while that pairing resulted in some solid capsules, it didn't see the runaway success that both parties were hoping for.
F1 team clothing has always been slightly… eccentric compared to the usual tastes of North American sports fans. It's about technical polo shirts, tops flocked with the names of many sponsors and overall pieces that are difficult to display if you don't literally work in the paddock of a Grand Prix. Conversely, adidas, another sports giant, takes a more holistic approach to the design of its sportswear. Logically, something as simple as a hoodie with the three stripes and the cult Mercedes star should convince even the most skeptical. The company also promises to draw inspiration from its equipment manufacturing talents in other disciplines such as football and basketball, offering fans not only the pieces worn by their favorite pilots, but also limited edition models for specific races and events. Regarding shoes, adidas will also provide the running boots for George Russell and his new teammate, rookie Kimi Antonelli. Mercedes Gazelles, did you dream of them?
The new adidas x Mercedes era will make its on-track debut on March 16 at the Australian Grand Prix in Melbourne
Originally published on GQ US
