Mercedes-AMG PETRONAS F1 One Team & Nasdaq Announce Integrated Multi-Year Brand Partnership

Today the Mercedes-AMG PETRONAS F1 Team and Nasdaq (Nasdaq: NDAQ) announced a multi-year brand partnership – aligning one of the most successful sports teams in history and one of the world’s leading financial technology companies.

Under the new partnership, Nasdaq will become an official partner of the Mercedes-AMG PETRONAS F1 Team. The partnership underscores Nasdaq's deep commitment to innovation and the companies that champion it.

“We’re excited to welcome Nasdaq, a global leader in financial technology, to the Mercedes-AMG PETRONAS F1 Team partner family,” said Toto Wolff, CEO of Mercedes-AMG PETRONAS F1 Team. “Partnerships are most powerful when they’re built on shared values. Nasdaq is a partner that not only understands the importance of cutting-edge technology but also embraces our commitment to continuous growth and resilience.”

“Our partnership with the Mercedes-AMG PETRONAS F1 Team embodies our shared passion for technology and performance, as well as our deep commitment to building the most competitive teams in the world,” said Adena Friedman, Chair and CEO of Nasdaq. “Together we will accelerate growth for our respective organizations while we create exceptional experiences for fans of the sport.”

Partnering with the Mercedes-AMG PETRONAS F1 Team is a strategic step for Nasdaq, deepening connections with its clients who engage with F1. As one third of the Team’s partners already list on Nasdaq’s exchange, the collaboration further strengthens the company’s ability to connect with clients and amplify its position as a trusted partner across the global financial system. F1’s audience of 1.5 billion and over 763 million fans across 21 countries, offers unparalleled reach across the globe.

“This partnership with the Mercedes-AMG PETRONAS F1 Team is a powerful alignment of two performance-driven cultures with global mindsets,” said Brian Buckley, Chief Marketing Officer at Nasdaq. “At Nasdaq, we’re focused on helping our clients navigate complexity, accelerate growth and solve their toughest challenges. Together with the Mercedes-AMG PETRONAS F1 Team, we’ll showcase how precision, innovation, and strategic partnership can drive success – on the track and in the world of global business.”

“From pioneering technologies to forging strategic alliances with forward-thinking brands, we're looking forward to collaborating with Nasdaq to benefit our fans, our partners, and our team,” said Richard Sanders, Chief Commercial Officer of Mercedes-AMG PETRONAS F1 Team. “As part of the partnership, Nasdaq and the Mercedes-AMG PETRONAS F1 Team will collaborate on storytelling and experiences at the intersection of business, technology, and sports, underscoring the strong alignment between the brands and their audiences.”

The Team will enjoy access to Nasdaq MarketSite – which is the home of Nasdaq’s bell ceremonies and the company's iconic LED video “tower” – as well as additional commercial marketing and media opportunities. Nasdaq will have an integrated brand presence at every F1 race during the partnership and both organizations will benefit from co-branded content and merchandise. The partnership will debut at this year’s Miami Grand Prix, where Nasdaq’s brand will appear on the Mercedes-AMG PETRONAS F1 Team’s Pit Wall Canopy and the Engineers’ Central Island Station.

About Nasdaq:
Nasdaq (Nasdaq: NDAQ) is a leading global technology company serving corporate clients, investment managers, banks, brokers, and exchange operators as they navigate and interact with the global capital markets and the broader financial system. We aspire to deliver world-leading platforms that improve the liquidity, transparency, and integrity of the global economy. Our diverse offering of data, analytics, software, exchange capabilities, and client-centric services enables clients to optimize and execute their business vision with confidence. To learn more about the company, technology solutions, and career opportunities, visit us on LinkedIn, on X @Nasdaq, or at www.nasdaq.com.

George Russell

That was a really challenging race. We had some problems in the last 12 laps including a brake-by-wire failure. When I was hitting the brakes, the pedal was inconsistent, and I had to do some resets for it to work properly again. For 10 laps in a row, going into every corner, I didn’t know whether it would be giving me the same feeling or not. It definitely compromised the race, but at the end of the day, bringing the car home in P2 is mega.

The brake-by-wire failure wasn’t the only technical challenge we were dealing with either! There were all sorts of issues going on with the transponder and the signals going to the car. That meant that we had to manually override the DRS. At one point, I hit the radio button and saw that the DRS was open. I closed it immediately and lifted off the throttle, so we actually gave up time. Happily, the stewards agreed that no sporting advantage was gained. All of those issues compromised that last stint but the main thing is we leave here with another podium and more solid points scored.
Kimi Antonelli

That was a difficult race for me today. Being stuck in the dirty air behind several cars played a major role in stalling any progress I was able to make. I pushed hard on my out laps to try and regain track position but then I likely took a little too much out of the tyres. We tried to do something different by switching to the three-stop strategy, but the Safety Car came out shortly after and that took the opportunity away.

We will review the whole race and see if there are things we could have done differently, but there are definitely still positives we can take away. Qualifying was another good step forwards for me and I felt more and more comfortable racing wheel-to-wheel with others today. Of course, P11 is never the result we are hoping for, but we will have a couple of days off and come back stronger in Jeddah next weekend.
Toto Wolff, Team Principal & CEO

Today’s race was a challenging one to manage. You could see how quickly it was possible to go from a very good result to a bad one. For George, he did a tremendous job. He definitely saved the podium for the team. He suffered a brake-by-wire failure and was having to manage brake pedal pressure that was changing from corner to corner. To do that without losing any time was amazing. He also nurtured the Soft tyres well in that final stint, was fast when it mattered and defended in all the right places to maximise the result.

For Kimi, today’s race was one of learning. We opted to take a risk with the strategy but in hindsight, we may have been better putting him on the Hard tyre. He also lost positions in his opening two stints which caused him to push the tyres harder than he would have liked. That is all part of the normal learning trajectory though and he will bounce back next week in Saudi Arabia. We therefore leave Bahrain with mixed feelings. With its abrasive asphalt and high track temperatures, we didn’t come into the weekend with high hopes. To be taking away a podium in P2 is therefore encouraging. There is more work to do to be in the fight for victory at each race though and we will continue to push hard.
Andrew Shovlin, Trackside Engineering Director

We were slightly disadvantaged with our tyre choice going into the race. The Medium was the best long run tyre and Ferrari and McLaren had two of them to our one. George's race was quite straightforward until he started to have systems failing during the final stint. He was missing a lot of information from the dash, but the biggest problem was that the brake-by-wire system kept failing which made the car very inconsistent. He drove a brilliantly managed stint at the end on the Soft and got through to the finish with enough pace to hold Norris off. We were concerned coming here as McLaren has looked so quick during winter testing at this track. George therefore did a great job to bring home a podium in P2, amongst the other issues he was having to fight.

Kimi meanwhile had a tough day. His first lap wasn't great as he suffered a few oversteer snaps in the first few corners, was squeezed off track into turn five and lost a couple of positions. That put him in the pack where he was struggling to make progress which resulted in more overheating for the tyres. We took a risk with his strategy but sadly that didn’t work out. It is all part of the learning for Kimi. His long run pace on Friday was just as good as George’s so a better result was possible. He will be striving to deliver that next weekend.

We have a few days now to prepare for Jeddah. It's great to be back on the podium in Bahrain and, whilst we need to bring a bit of speed to be able to challenge for wins, it's really exciting to have shown such strong pace on a track that is so challenging for the tyres, and we didn’t expect to be particularly competitive at.

George Russell

It was a slightly messy day from our side. We didn’t manage to get too many clean laps in, owing to both traffic and a few efforts where we didn’t quite the tyres in the right window. We tried some different things across both cars, which was definitely valuable learning for both Kimi and myself. I think we’ve found the direction we will move in now. We were probably stronger in FP1 than FP2 ultimately. We didn’t quite take the step forward with the car that we were hoping too, but I don’t think there’s anything that we can’t improve overnight to come back stronger for Qualifying tomorrow. It was a shame not to get the long run data in due to the red flag in FP2, but everyone else is in the same boat. It’s not controversial to say that McLaren looked like they were clear in front but I’m hopeful we can be in the fight for best of the rest once again as we head into the weekend.
Kimi Antonelli

It was quite a tricky day out there today. It proved difficult to get too many clean laps in, but I’m pleased with what we were able to achieve. We worked on a lot of details, and I was able to build my confidence on the track. It is a circuit that demands a lot of confidence in the high-speed and you need to get the car close to the walls. Overall, it was positive even if I got slightly too close to the wall on the exit of the final corner on my last lap on the Soft tyre in FP2.

I’m looking forward to the rest of the weekend now. It looks pretty close with many of our competitors behind McLaren. We don’t know the relative fuel loads and Power Unit modes of others, so we just need to focus on ourselves. We will work hard analysing the data overnight and look to come back stronger tomorrow.
Andrew Shovlin, Trackside Engineering Director

We had a solid start to the weekend in FP1. The track was actually pretty clean from the start, although the higher track temperatures do cost a bit of grip. George was able to set some strong times in the early running and Kimi was a little back from there, but this is another track that he is learning in an F1 car and it was good to see him making progress with each lap. We were pretty happy with the single lap performance as the session came to a close, although we knew we had some work to do on the long run.

We made a few changes into FP2, partly to account for the cooling track and also in an attempt to further refine the balance. In the later session, the car was a bit tricker for both drivers so we'll pick through those changes on the simulator overnight and decide what to keep and what to discard. We didn't get a read on the long run due to a combination of the red flag and a few delays in our own programme. However, McLaren still look quick and we'll be working on the assumption overnight that they are the ones to beat.

George Russell

Tonight was all about the tyres and unfortunately, ours were suffering from overheating. I was pushing to stay with Verstappen at the start of the second stint, but it quickly became clear that we weren’t going to be able to hang on. I tried to manage the tyres a little more but, with the tyre age offset they had built, Leclerc and Norris were able to move ahead. After that, my tyres dropped off the cliff and it was all about just bringing the car home in P5. Ultimately, we didn’t have the pace today. Even if we had managed more at different points, that was the maximum available to us this evening.

We will take the positives we can from this weekend. We know that tyre overheating is a weakness of our car at the moment. Everyone is focused on improving that. We will have to accept coming home fifth on a bad day but we all want to make steps in that area, and quickly.
Kimi Antonelli

It was a tough race but overall, I’m satisfied to come home P6. I struggled with understeer on the Medium tyre in the first stint. The front tyres started to degrade early on, so our pace wasn’t strong in the early stages. I felt better on the Hard compound after our pit stop though and our speed in the final 10 laps was competitive. I still had to manage though as we were suffering from overheating on the tyres throughout the race.

Today’s race was still good learning for me. It has been an intense triple-header; there’s lots for me to look at and work on, but I’m also looking forward to some recovery time and to coming back stronger in Miami. We will keep pushing as a team to improve and build on our start to the season.
Toto Wolff, Team Principal & CEO

That was our worst performance of the year so far. The pace dropped away as our tyres overheated and that was frustrating. We came into the race hoping we could compete for the podium but, with the limitations we had with the tyres, P5 and P6 was the maximum for us. We need to analyse our performance, work out why that was the case, and quickly find improvements. The next race in Miami is another race on a hot track surface so we will need to be better than we were today if we want to avoid a repeat performance.

Both drivers fought hard with the limitations they were facing. Even with greater management at different stages of the race, George was always going to be unable to stop Leclerc and Norris coming past. Kimi continued his development to take P6 and hold off Lewis (Hamilton). That has helped us limit the damage to our direct competitors in the Constructors’ Championship, but we don’t leave Saudi Arabia satisfied with that.
Andrew Shovlin, Trackside Engineering Director

That was our toughest race of the year so far. Starting P3 and P5, we were hopeful of being in the fight for the podium. Ultimately though, our pace was limited by overheating on both the Medium and Hard compounds. Both drivers managed early on in each stint but, when required to push the tyre harder, both axles suffered, and we couldn't extract the pace of our competitors. George was powerless to hold off Leclerc and Norris in the closing stages, who used their fresher tyres to good effect. Kimi meanwhile did a good job to stave off Lewis (Hamilton) but P5 and P6 are not results we are ever going to be satisfied with. We know that managing the tyres is an area we need to improve in, and the factory is focused on doing that.

Despite the tough evening, we have done well so far at collecting solid points over the first five races of the season. That is encouraging, but we need to build on that and do more. We have several hot races coming up and we need to get on top of our tyre management issues if we want to compete consistently at the front. We have the opportunity to do so starting in Miami in two weeks' time.

George Russell

It [FP2] was OK. We expected McLaren to be a step ahead here and we saw that today. They were a strongest in the middle sector where the tyres are overheating, so we know we’ve got a bit of work to do if we want to challenge them. I think we’re in position fighting for the next best behind them in all honesty.

I think it’s going to be close between ourselves, Ferrari and the Red Bulls. It is hard to say with confidence, but we saw both teams performing strongly at different points throughout the day. I definitely feel, unlike the last three races, this won’t be dominated by Qualifying – this weekend is going to be dominated by race pace and by tyre degradation. Of course, you want to have a good Qualifying, but the race is where the action will be.
Kimi Antonelli

FP1 was obviously quote short. Unfortunately, I had a water leak on the car, so I had to stop and couldn’t drive for the rest of the session. That was a shame because you don’t want to miss out on laps. FP2 was quite positive though. The single lap was quite good, even though I made a big mistake in sector one, and overall I felt pretty good in the car. The long run was quite tricky – completely different to what we had in testing, so I had to adapt, but overall, despite the issue in FP1, it was a positive day.

Being at a track that I know definitely helped get me up to speed more quickly today. I felt straightaway in FP2 that I had confidence with the car and despite the track being different to when I’ve driven here previously, I had the confidence to be able to push. McLaren still seem to be the favourite but I think we should be fighting for the top five in tomorrow’s Qualifying. We can definitely take the fight to the Red Bulls and Ferrari, but let’s wait and see what Saturday brings.
Fred Vesti

What a day it’s been. Yesterday was awesome to be back in the paddock and working with the team preparing for the day today. I was really happy to be back in the car – it felt really good to challenge myself and to push to the limit. Obviously spending so much time in the simulator, it’s just really nice to get time in the real car, learning more about the tyres and the W16 itself.

As a racing driver, feeling that energy through the body is something you miss a lot when you’re in the simulator. I want to thank Mercedes for giving me the opportunity again to run in FP1 and continue my journey. My motivation is very high and I will continue to push. For now, it’s back to Brackley, back to work with the team there and correlate what I’ve learned today in the simulator. We will continue pushing towards even better results and race wins.
Andrew Shovlin, Trackside Engineering Director

We had Fred Vesti in the car for FP1 and he did a great job for us. The programme was designed for our learning rather than setting headline times but when we correct for the Medium compound and fuel, the times were impressive considering that it was his first time in the W16. Unfortunately, we lost Kimi's car early in the session with a water leak. We were able to quickly identify the issue and resolved it for FP2 although it was a shame to lose the running.

The cooler conditions of the evening session meant the grip was higher and the car was more together. We managed a good programme with both drivers, electing to do two Soft tyres in the conditions more relevant to Qualifying. There's plenty still to work on. The track is much hotter than the test so keeping tyres in the window is more difficult both on single lap and long run but it's a decent baseline to work from and the car is at least quite consistent in its behaviour around the lap.  As we've seen at the recent races, it's quite tight. McLaren look strong here but we expected that after testing but hopefully we can get ourselves into the podium fight.