Mercedes reportedly ditching Puma for $42 billion worth of sportswear giant

Mercedes and Puma have been collaborating since 2012.

Mercedes reportedly ditching Puma for $42 billion worth of sportswear giant

Puma, Toto Wolff, Adudas (Via: Imago)

Mercedes is one of the top teams in F1. The German marque was present in the initial years of the championship and has been a major force since coming back in 2010. Since its re-entry on the grid, Puma has been the lead sponsor of the team and the official fanwear producer. However, in a stark turn of events, Puma is set to be ditched by Mercedes in favor of Adidas.

Mercedes and Puma recently revealed their collaboration with Christopher Raeburn. The massive coalition was set to make waves in the fashion industry and among fans. However, their expectations were soon washed away as reports emerged regarding the breaking up of the alliance between the two giants.

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According to Bild, the German manufacturer is set to cut off its ties with its long-time partner Puma and form a coalition with Adidas instead.

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From 2025, Adidas will equip the Mercedes Formula 1 team. But according to our information, the deal is fixed. The sports goods manufacturer is said to have already presented the first designs to the team.
Germany’s Bild newspaper stated

This report collides with the timing of Adidas ending its ties with the German football association DFB. Moreover, they have understood to have presented the first few designs for the team’s merchandise, as the deal is supposedly done and dusted.

Mercedes revealed reason for Lewis Hamilton’s subpar performance in Austria

On the marketing side, Mercedes is quite active. Similarly, on track, they are making tremendous leaps forward as George Russell claimed the first win of 2024 for the team in Austria. However, Lewis Hamilton finished a lonely P4, 23 seconds behind his teammate, raising eyebrows within the paddock regarding the former world champion’s pace.

Toto Wolff and Lewis Hamilton
Toto Wolff and Lewis Hamilton (Via Imago)

This urged team principal Toto Wolff to jump in and explain the reason for the lack of pace exhibited by Hamilton.

He[Lewis Hamilton] pushed very hard on the entry, you can see how much he pushed, lost the rear and then obviously the next penalty came about. On top of that, we had floor damage because of the kerb ride, which I guess most people have but his was extensive. It was two and a half tenths in parts that broke off on the kerb. So no reason to be angry or upset about it.
Toto Wolff via Motorsportweek

The Austrian began by referring to the incident that earned Hamilton a penalty on the pitlane entry. Furthermore, he revealed that the 39-year-old had underbody damage. This made him lose around a quarter of a second per lap, which explained his pace deficit.

The former world champion is eighth in the driver’s championship, a single place behind his teammate. However, he has been whitewashed in the intra-team rivalry so far. Thus, fans would expect him to catch back up to his younger compatriot in the upcoming events.

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