- Mercedes has unveiled a special one-off livery for the 2025 United States Grand Prix at Circuit of The Americas, featuring distinctive blue accents alongside the team’s traditional silver, black, and green colour scheme.
- The bespoke design spotlights Mercedes-Benz’s MANUFAKTUR cross-brand car customisation programme, with matching race suits and personalised AMG GT 4 Door Coupés created for both drivers.
- Kimi Antonelli and George Russell will race in the special-liveried W17 cars, with Mercedes promising further brand activations throughout the race weekend.
Mercedes Unveils MANUFAKTUR-Inspired Special Livery for United States Grand Prix
Mercedes has joined the growing list of Formula 1 teams rolling out bespoke, limited-edition liveries for the United States Grand Prix, debuting a striking new look for their W17 cars at Circuit of The Americas. The Silver Arrows announced the design on Wednesday via social media, presenting a creation that goes beyond pure aesthetics to serve as a platform for Mercedes-Benz’s premium MANUFAKTUR cross-brand customisation programme — a bespoke vehicle personalisation service offered across the wider Mercedes-Benz family of cars.
Blue Accents Transform the W17 for Austin Weekend
While Mercedes’ core identity of silver, black, and green remains intact, the COTA livery introduces eye-catching flashes of blue across both George Russell’s and Kimi Antonelli’s W17 machines. The colour addition is deliberate and brand-aligned, reflecting the premium, tailored aesthetic that the MANUFAKTUR programme is built upon. The special livery is explicitly a one-off design, intended exclusively for this weekend’s race event rather than representing any permanent visual identity shift for the team.
Matching Race Suits and Personalised AMG GT 4 Door Coupés Complete the Package
The activation extends well beyond the cars themselves. Mercedes has produced matching race suits for both Russell and Antonelli that complement the updated W17 livery, creating a cohesive, head-to-toe visual identity for the team across the Austin weekend. Furthering the MANUFAKTUR showcase, the team has also created personalised AMG GT 4 Door Coupés for the occasion, with additional brand activations confirmed to be planned throughout the race weekend — making the United States Grand Prix a significant promotional platform for the customisation programme.
Following Haas’ Godzilla Reveal, Special Liveries Define the Austin Weekend
Mercedes’ announcement follows Haas’s own headline-grabbing livery reveal earlier in the week, when the American team debuted a Godzilla-themed design at the start of the United States Grand Prix buildup. The back-to-back reveals underscore a broader trend in Formula 1 of teams using high-profile international race weekends — particularly the commercially lucrative US events — to execute marketing partnerships and brand collaborations through one-off visual packages that generate significant engagement on social media.
Why This Matters
Special liveries have evolved into a key strategic tool for Formula 1 teams, allowing commercial partners and parent brands to gain amplified visibility during marquee events with global audiences. The United States Grand Prix at Circuit of The Americas consistently draws one of the sport’s largest North American crowds and TV viewership figures, making it an ideal stage for a premium brand showcase. For Mercedes-Benz, placing the MANUFAKTUR programme at the centre of their COTA activation brings direct consumer awareness to a personalisation service that competes in the ultra-premium automotive customisation market. With further activations still to come across the weekend, the full scope of the campaign is expected to develop as the on-track action gets underway.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the Mercedes MANUFAKTUR programme?
MANUFAKTUR is Mercedes-Benz’s cross-brand car customisation programme that offers customers highly personalised, bespoke vehicle configurations across the wider Mercedes-Benz range. The United States Grand Prix livery has been designed specifically to promote and showcase this premium service.
Will George Russell and Kimi Antonelli race in the special livery at COTA?
Yes. Both George Russell and Kimi Antonelli will race in the specially liveried W17 cars at Circuit of The Americas. Mercedes has also produced matching race suits for both drivers to complement the updated look.
Is the Mercedes COTA livery a permanent design change?
No. The MANUFAKTUR-inspired livery is explicitly a one-off design created exclusively for the United States Grand Prix weekend and does not represent a permanent change to Mercedes’ Formula 1 visual identity.
