Mercedes: We don’t want to go sailing

When America’s Cup boats took a jump in speed for the 2013 edition, the issue of aeronautic drag gained attention. Airplane and race car designers were now going sailing.

Mercedes Formula One division supported British challenger Ben Ainlie’s team for the 2021 and 2024 competitions, but his third effort toward the 2027 America’s Cup will be without the luxury automotive brand.

“We don’t want to do this anymore,” confirmed Mercedes team principal Toto Wolff. “We’re a Formula 1 racing team. We don’t want to go sailing. We don’t want to do any other sports. Complete focus [must be] on only Formula 1.”

For Ainslie’s design team, Mercedes had lent personnel along with engineering and aerodynamics tools, as well as its simulation and manufacturing infrastructure, but with a raft of F1 regulation changes coming in 2026, Wolff is keen to maintain focus on what’s most important… car racing.