Mercedes DNA means F1 remains "biggest sports platform" for the brand - Toto Wolff

Mercedes

Mercedes DNA means F1 remains "biggest sports platform" for the brand - Wolff

Mercedes will hope to continue its successes this season

Ewan Gale

Monday 8 February 2021 05:00

Mercedes team principal Toto Wolff has suggested the racing DNA instilled in the manufacturer means it will continue to use Formula 1 as it remains the "biggest sports platform".

Although never in doubt, the German manufacturer's commitment to the sport was extended last year when it signed up to the new Concorde Agreement.

Wolff reiterated the importance of F1 for the commercial operations of the company given the wide reach achieved throughout the world.

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“I think for Mercedes, because it is in our DNA, we build road cars and we build race cars and the first Mercedes was a race car, it is around our core product," said Wolff.

“You can play branding and marketing on various platforms and many of them are successful platforms but motor racing is what we do because it is around the car.

“Formula 1 is the biggest sports platform, or one of the biggest sports platforms, in the world.

"It generates more than a billion unique viewers each year; we are generating three and a half billion [dollars worth] of advertising equivalent for Mercedes and our partners, and it has the biggest global reach of any yearly championship."

Mercedes has dominated since the introduction of the turbo-hybrid engines in 2014, winning every available championship following the power unit's inception.

With new regulations surrounding aerodynamics entering the sport next season followed by a new era of PU in either 2025 or '26, Wolff stated the advances in technology were key assets needed to boost the overall brand.

“If driving a car in the future is just a commodity and not an emotion any more, which I strongly disagree with because buying a car is an emotional decision, everybody does branding in a different way and this needs to be respected," he added.

“For us, there is the technological edge that Formula 1 provides. It is the sporting and team spirit that we add to the brand.”