Mercedes Formula One team have unveiled a brand new steering wheel addition that has never been seen in the sport.
Teams have been busy unveiling their new cars for the upcoming season that gets started in Bahrain on March 9 and have been going through first testing sessions in the Middle Eastern nation.
Mercedes are hoping to bounce-back from difficult back-to-back seasons that has seen Red Bull dominate both the driver’s and constructors championship, with Max Verstappen overtaking Lewis Hamilton to be the biggest name on the grid.
The German garage led by team principal Toto Wolff want to reward Hamilton with a record-breaking eighth world championship title during his final year at the team before he prepares to join Ferrari next year.
Teams are always looking to find new innovative ways to gain an advantage over their opponents and Mercedes are also targeting new ways to get their sponsors more air time.
Mercedes Formula One team have unveiled a brand new steering wheel addition that has never been seen in the sport
Mercedes driver Lewis Hamilton will use the new button during his final year at the team
Mercedes have launched a new sponsorship deal with global communications company Whatsapp and have been creative in promoting their latest partnership.
An F1 car’s complicated steering wheel boasts 25 individual buttons and switches with each feature having to be easily accessible to driver’s as they race around circuits.
The Whatsapp logo replaces the former yellow communications button that allows drivers to speak to staff on the pit wall and get information throughout the race.
The company’s iconic green logo that is designed as a phone with a speech bubble around it and its addition to the Mercedes-AMG F1 W14 E Performance could inspire other companies to pitch similar sponsorship initiatives.
Mercedes are already sponsored with new Man United investor Sir Jim Ratcliffe and his petrochemical company INEOS, Petronas and tech giant Snapdragon.
Announcing the new steering wheel design, Mercedes posted an image of the Whatsapp button on their X account alongside a caption explaining its place.
Speaking at the car’s unveiling last week, Hamilton said: ‘This is the most exciting part of the year. To know everything underneath the hood, that George and I will be able to experience on the track. It’s exciting.’
Mercedes have replaced their usual communications button the steering wheel with a Whatsapp logo
Mercedes are currently going through pre-season testing drills in Bahrain ahead of the new season
‘It’s obviously been emotional, it’s very surreal to be here. I came here in 2013, 11 years with the team, this is the start of my 12th.
‘The focus through the whole of winter training is getting the team back to where we once were. We have had these difficult couple of years which have been really grounding for us.’
‘It is such a privilege to work with people to see the work they’re doing over the winter.
‘This is the most exciting part of the year. To know everything underneath the hood, that George and I will be able to experience on the track. It’s exciting.’
