The new Mercedes F1 will have a WhatsApp button on the steering wheel

Mercedes has made a curious change to the steering wheel of its Formula 1 car as a result of the company’s collaboration with the popular messaging app owned by Meta. Now, There will be a WhatsApp button on the steering wheel which will replace the key that pilots use to communicate with their crew.

This button, of course, does not allow pilots to communicate with engineers via WhatsApp. The key continues to be used so they can communicate with engineers via radio service.. The difference is that instead of the “Talk” command as in the previous steering wheel design, the messaging app logo will appear.

Mercedes announced WhatsApp sponsorship for Formula 1 just a few days ago along with presentation of the new W15. In fact, the German company has taken advantage of the channels feature, through which the messaging app is supposed to share with users an invitation to the presentation of a new car that will have a steering wheel with a button. He also shared a link on his social media that redirected users to his channel so they could see the W15.

WhatsApp uses agreement with Mercedes to promote its features

WhatsApp is also taking advantage of this collaboration with Mercedes to highlight some of its key features, such as app privacy (remember WhatsApp messages are fully encrypted). The messaging platform, through its X (Twitter) account, spotted a tarpaulin covering the W15, where the words “Made for private WhatsApp use” can be read, highlighting the privacy of the app.

Mercedes is currently using her WhatsApp channel to communicate more intuitively with her followers. Users can interact with the channel by reacting to messages with emoticons.