Gatorade Shifts Gears Into Women’s Racing With F1 Academy Deal
A multi-year partnership sees Gatorade bringing its sports science expertise to F1 Academy, backing young female drivers with hydration research, sponsorship and performance support
Gatorade has inked a multi-year deal with F1 Academy, becoming the first official sports drink partner of the all-female racing series.
The partnership comes as F1 Academy experiences a surge in global visibility, fueled by the release of the Netflix documentary “F1: The Academy.”
Starting in 2026, Gatorade will provide personalized hydration and nutrition guidance to F1 Academy drivers, drawing on research from the Gatorade Sport Science Institute. The collaboration will also include performance testing and hydration strategies designed to meet the physical demands of racing, where drivers can lose up to four kilograms of sweat in a single event.
The partnership, which runs through 2030, extends beyond technical support. Gatorade will also back a rising driver on the 2026 grid, sponsoring both their car and race suit.
“Partnering with F1 Academy is a powerful moment for Gatorade,” PepsiCo vice president of marketing innovation and hydration brands Umi Patel said. “Motorsport is one of the most physically demanding sports on the planet, where optimum hydration can be the difference between winning and losing. This partnership allows us to bring our decades of sports science expertise directly to the next generation of elite drivers. By supporting young women at the start of their motorsport journey, we’re not just setting them up for success at such a pivotal part of their career; we are encouraging them to see what is in them and fuel their drive and ambition for success. That’s what our Fuel Tomorrow initiative is all about.”
The Fuel Tomorrow initiative pledges to give 2.5 million teens access to sports by the end of the decade.
To mark the launch of the partnership, 16-year-old Mathilda Paatz will take the wheel of a Gatorade-branded race car at this weekend’s Canadian Grand Prix in Montreal.
“I’m beyond excited to have been selected as the Wild Card driver for Round 4 of F1 Academy at the Canadian Grand Prix, driving the Gatorade race car,” Paatz said. “Growing up, I was captivated by the theatre of racing – the energy, the passion and how drivers carried the pride of their teams. To now be racing on a Formula 1 weekend, with fans around the world watching, is a dream come true. I’m especially proud to partner with Gatorade, a brand that’s championed athletes at every level and is helping pave the way for the next generation of women in motorsport.”
Additional details about the partnership and Gatorade‘s planned involvement with F1 Academy drivers are expected to be revealed ahead of the sponsorship’s official rollout during the 2026 Formula 1 season.
“At PepsiCo, we believe in the power of platforms and partnerships to shape the future of sport – and to do so with purpose,” PepsiCo’s chief consumer and marketing officer Jane Wakely said. “This historic global partnership with F1, one of the world’s fastest-growing sports, is a bold step forward in our mission to fuel fandom, create culture-driving moments and incredible brand experiences on a global scale.”