Microsoft switches F1 sponsorship from Alpine to Mercedes

Mercedes has announced a multi-year partnership with the American conglomerate

Mercedes has signed a multi-year deal with technology conglomerate Microsoft, starting from the 2026 season.

Microsoft was a long-time partner of the rival Alpine squad, which it first sponsored in 2012 when the outfit was named Lotus, but has now switched allegiances as its Alpine deal ended following the 2025 campaign.

The Microsoft logo will be displayed on the airbox and the front wing endplates of the newly revealed W17 F1 car, as well as the drivers’ overalls, but the partnership will have a technical scope as well.

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“Microsoft Azure and its AI capabilities will expand the team’s existing high-performance computing and data capabilities, both at the factory and trackside, with scalable cloud and AI resources supporting simulation workloads, performance analysis, race strategy modelling and cross-team analytics,” Mercedes’ press release reads. “The flexibility and agility of this platform will help ensure engineers and strategists have real-time insights available at the moments that matter most.”

Mercedes W17 livery

Photo by: Mercedes AMG

The team clarified that it already operated Microsoft 365 and GitHub in its workflow, but would now expand its use of those platforms.

“Our sport is driven by those who lead through innovation,” Mercedes team principal Toto Wolff stated. “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.”