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Mercedes undertakes F1 showrun in New York with Hamilton

Mercedes undertook a special showrun with the W12 – driven by Lewis Hamilton – and real-version of emoji car near Empire State Building in New York.

Rounding off two days of celebrations following the launch of a new race car emoji, Lewis, the team, and our Official Messaging Partner WhatsApp took over Fifth Avenue in New York City for a thrilling demonstration run. The seven-time World Champion got behind-the-wheel of W12 and was joined by a life-sized version of the recently launched emoji race car. The run marked the first-ever live demonstration of an F1 car in Manhattan and also marked WhatsApp’s double-digit growth in the US.

Lewis said: “That was epic! It has always been a dream of mine to drive an F1 car down Fifth Avenue in New York City. Seeing the crowds and everyone’s excitement was awesome. To do something like this, when you think about the incredible history of this city, is incredible. I want to say a huge thank you to WhatsApp and the Empire State Building for making it possible. I use WhatsApp to communicate with all my family and friends, staying in touch when we’re travelling the world. To collaborate with them on a day like this is something I’ll never forget.”

It caps a stunning weekend of events in the city that never sleeps, including the lighting up of the Empire State Building, a dynamic light show, car displays, and pit stop exhibit. Toto added: “I’ve done many events in the past 12 years, but this tops it all. Seeing Fifth Avenue shut down for a Mercedes-AMG PETRONAS F1 Team car to run was spectacular. That is true even by New York standards!

“To be able to do this in celebration of our partnership with WhatsApp, and showcasing our relationship, is fantastic. WhatsApp is our default communication tool, end-to-end encrypted and safe. It is vital for our team and our partnership is a natural fit.”

Here’s some videos: https://x.com/EmpireStateBldg/status/1785310406346424439

https://x.com/MercedesAMGF1/status/1785354822218096826

https://x.com/MercedesAMGF1/status/1785389540682674591

https://x.com/MercedesAMGF1/status/1785397686654439502

https://x.com/MercedesAMGF1/status/1785421358123438097

https://x.com/MercedesAMGF1/status/1785441875618353298

https://x.com/MercedesAMGF1/status/1785595443621007652

 

NEW YORK, NEW YORK – APRIL 30: A view of the WhatsApp and the Mercedes-AMG PETRONAS F1 Team Fifth Avenue speed demo on April 30, 2024 in New York City. (Photo by Dia Dipasupil/Getty Images for WhatsApp)
NEW YORK, NEW YORK – APRIL 30: A view of the WhatsApp and the Mercedes-AMG PETRONAS F1 Team Fifth Avenue speed demo on April 30, 2024 in New York City. (Photo by Dia Dipasupil/Getty Images for WhatsApp)

NEW YORK, NEW YORK – APRIL 30: Lewis Hamilton races towards the Empire State Building ahead of the Miami Grand Prix and in celebration of the Mercedes F1 x WhatsApp Observatory Takeover at The Empire State Building on April 30, 2024 in New York City. (Photo by Mike Coppola/Getty Images for Empire State Realty Trust )
NEW YORK, NEW YORK – APRIL 30: Lewis Hamilton poses for a photo ahead of the Miami Grand Prix and in celebration of the Mercedes F1 x WhatsApp Observatory Takeover at The Empire State Building on April 30, 2024 in New York City. (Photo by Mike Coppola/Getty Images for Empire State Realty Trust )
NEW YORK, NEW YORK – APRIL 30: (L-R) Toto Wolff, CEO of Mercedes AMG Petronas F1 Team and Lewis Hamilton pose for a photo ahead of the Miami Grand Prix and in celebration of the Mercedes F1 x WhatsApp Observatory Takeover at The Empire State Building on April 30, 2024 in New York City. (Photo by Mike Coppola/Getty Images for Empire State Realty Trust )
NEW YORK, NEW YORK – APRIL 30: Lewis Hamilton poses for a photo ahead of the Miami Grand Prix and in celebration of the Mercedes F1 x WhatsApp Observatory Takeover at The Empire State Building on April 30, 2024 in New York City. (Photo by Mike Coppola/Getty Images for Empire State Realty Trust )
NEW YORK, NEW YORK – APRIL 30: Lewis Hamilton races towards the Empire State Building ahead of the Miami Grand Prix and in celebration of the Mercedes F1 x WhatsApp Observatory Takeover at The Empire State Building on April 30, 2024 in New York City. (Photo by Mike Coppola/Getty Images for Empire State Realty Trust )

Here’s launch of the emoji race car

Here’s Lewis Hamilton on worst race in Chinese GP

Here’s link to a F1 Discord channel, join in to interact

[Note: The story is as per press release]