Mercedes and Adidas keep it cool and familiar with 2026 teamwear drop
Mercedes has rolled out its 2026 team kit with Adidas, with George Russell and Andrea Kimi Antonelli fronting the look as the partnership enters year two. The headlines? Minimal surgery to a design that already fit the brief, a nudge more teal in the right places, and a clear tilt toward function in the most brutal working environment in sport: a Formula 1 garage.
The palette sticks to the Mercedes script — black and white with those teal cues — while the detailing gets a tech-forward refresh. Driver jerseys carry an engineered hexagon print and a teal-to-black fade inspired by Adidas’ Ultraboost 5 aesthetic, a tidy way to fuse brand identities without turning the kit into a billboard. Adidas’ CLIMACOOL material remains central, aimed at keeping temperatures and focus in check when the cockpit’s off-limits and the TV cameras aren’t.
There’s subtle housekeeping elsewhere. The mechanics’ gear arrives in both short and long sleeves with a sharper, modern cut and a curved teal graphic for a cleaner, quicker visual. The engineers, who spent last season in white, are switching to black — a practical call that’ll be appreciated during any late-night rebuilds.
Mercedes’ commercial chief Richard Sanders framed the release as another step in a partnership built on performance and polish. In short: apparel that does the job and looks the part. Adidas’ motorsport lead Michael Batz echoed that, noting the tailoring tweaks across roles to meet the team’s varied demands.
Russell, never far from the details, sounded exactly like you’d expect from a driver who obsesses over feel. Every element matters, and if the kit lets him stay sharper for longer, that’s free lap time in a season where margins will be microscopic. Antonelli, heading into a crucial sophomore campaign, leaned into the confidence angle: fit, function, focus, repeat.
It’s not a radical rebrand, and that’s the point. Mercedes has gone for continuity just as the sport pivots toward a new rulebook and a reshaped competitive order. Keep the off-track pieces calm; let the car do the shouting.
See the 2026 teamwear here:
New threads for a new era 🙌 Tap below to explore 🫵
— Mercedes-AMG PETRONAS F1 Team (@MercedesAMGF1)January 15, 2026
The bigger takeaway is how Mercedes and Adidas are handling the second-year rhythm. Year one is about splash; year two is about refinement. The Brackley crew has trimmed where it counts and doubled down on comfort and durability — the things you notice in Singapore at midnight, not on a photoshoot in January.
If you’re hunting for bold new lines or a shock colorway, you won’t find it. If you’re looking for kit that reads Mercedes — cool, efficient, quietly aggressive — you’re looking at it.
