The race for global relevance is also run off the track. Nu, a Brazilian digital financial services platform, announced a multi-year partnership with the Mercedes-AMG PETRONAS Formula One Team to become an Official Partner of the team starting with the 2026 Formula 1 World Championship. The agreement strengthens the brand’s presence in its key markets —Brazil, Mexico, and Colombia— while expanding its reach into the United States and other strategic territories.
With a global audience exceeding 827 million fans, Formula 1 offers Nu a high-impact platform to accelerate brand awareness, cultural affinity, and long-term growth. The sport is experiencing sustained expansion in Latin America and North America, regions where Nu concentrates millions of customers and a clear international expansion agenda.
From São Paulo to Brackley
Since its founding in 2013, Nu has grown to surpass 127 million customers worldwide, challenging traditional banking with a 100% digital model, user-centric design, and innovation powered by artificial intelligence. That DNA aligns with the Brackley-based team, one of the most successful in F1 history, with eight Constructors’ Championships and nine Drivers’ Championships.
The partnership is born from a shared ambition: to set new standards. For Nu, it means taking its value proposition —simplicity, technology, and customer focus— to a truly global stage. For Mercedes-AMG PETRONAS, it adds a partner that understands efficiency, data, and innovation as key drivers of performance.
Activations, drivers, and high-impact experiences
The agreement opens the door to branding initiatives and activations on and off the track, with experiences designed to bring fans closer to the excitement of the sport. The collaboration will include exclusive participation from drivers George Russell and Kimi Antonelli, as well as CEO and Team Principal Toto Wolff, creating premium touchpoints and high-value content.
Cristina Junqueira, co-founder and Chief Growth Officer of Nu, noted that F1 is one of the few platforms with truly global fans and highlighted the potential to connect with audiences in Brazil, Mexico, Colombia, and the United States. The vision: to build a global brand over time through digital experiences and preferential access that elevate the relationship with fans.
Mexico at the center of the strategy
For the Mexican market, the partnership arrives at a key moment: Formula 1 maintains a strong fan base, an event calendar that boosts engagement, and the return to the top tier of the greatest Mexican driver in history, Sergio “Checo” Pérez. The sponsorship allows Nu to deepen its cultural relevance, activate local experiences, and consolidate its positioning among a young, digital, motorsport-passionate audience.
Toto Wolff emphasized that innovation and disruption are at the core of the agreement, while Richard Sanders, the team’s Chief Commercial Officer, said that Nu’s focus on technology and efficiency aligns perfectly with the principles of high performance in F1.
More than a logo
Beyond visibility on the car, the partnership aims to create sustained value: memorable experiences, exclusive content, and a bridge between financial technology and sports entertainment. In a category where differentiation is earned through affinity and purpose, Nu is betting on F1 as a catalyst for regional and global growth.
With the 2026 season on the horizon, the partnership marks the beginning of a new chapter where digital finance and motorsport share the track to connect with millions of fans —and customers— around the world.
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