WhatsApp will take an active part in the world of Formula 1: it will sponsor the Mercedes team, as reported by AP.

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WhatsApp application, sponsor of the Mercedes team in Formula 1

We’re talking about WhatsApp’s first sports sponsorship, a multi-year deal that will provide followers of the eight-time world champion’s team with exclusive content and updates during races via the Meta-owned private messaging service, a source said.

The announced deal is the first of its kind for WhatsApp, which connects more than two billion people worldwide and is widely used outside the United States.

While Americans tend to use iMessage through their Apple phones, WhatsApp is used more globally and has become the primary communication tool for the Mercedes team.

Team principal Toto Wolff told The Associated Press that it is not unusual to receive messages in WhatsApp chat groups from Mercedes board members questioning strategy during races.

“I try to turn the phone upside down so I don’t see board members texting me, ‘What the hell is the strategy department thinking?'” Wolff told the AP. “It’s quite funny. Sometimes,” he added.

The partnership will focus on the new WhatsApp channel streaming feature that Mercedes started using in September. Before the Grand Prix of Las Vegas, the team gathered 656,000 followers.

“We’ve been impressed with how the Mercedes team relies on WhatsApp to keep the organization running,” said Will Cathcart, head of WhatsApp.

“I’m proud to have worked together to reveal how WhatsApp brings their team and fans closer to events.”

The broadcast feature allows Mercedes to share behind-the-scenes experiences and information, in-race updates and content featuring drivers Lewis Hamilton and George Russell that cannot be found anywhere else.

The broadcast channel allows you to react to posts, but there is no possibility of comments.

For Mercedes, Wolff considers WhatsApp invaluable.

He said he can go a whole day without talking to any team member because he can communicate with the entire company through WhatsApp channels.

It is also his main line of communication with his two children, who are students in California, News.ro reports.