BetterUp Backs Next Generation of Women in F1 Through Access to Human Transformation Platform
Austin, TX – February 26, 2026 – BetterUp®, the AI-powered human transformation company and inventor of virtual coaching, today announced an expansion of its North American supplier partnership with the Mercedes-AMG PETRONAS F1 Team to include their entry in F1 Academy™, Formula 1®’s all-female single-seater racing series. Through this expansion, every member of the Mercedes-AMG F1 Academy Team, including driver Payton Westcott, will have full access to BetterUp’s Human Transformation Platform as they prepare to compete on the world stage.
“Winning in Formula 1 requires more than engineering excellence — it demands that every person on your team is operating at their absolute best. BetterUp has been central to how we build that edge across the organisation, and extending that to our team supporting F1 Academy is a natural next step,” said Bradley Lord, Team Representative, Mercedes-AMG PETRONAS F1 Team. “We’re proud that every teammate who competes at this level receives investment in their well-being and performance.”
The expansion builds on a proven foundation. By embedding coaching, resilience-building, and upskilling into daily operations, the broader Mercedes-AMG PETRONAS F1 Team has seen a 2.3x improvement in employee flourishing and received positive feedback from BetterUp platform users, who report feeling more capable in their daily work, more resilient, and better supported in their well-being. Many team members also indicated that these tools help them with clarity in decision‑making and managing pressure across the demands of an F1 season. The partnership continues to reinforce an environment for personal and professional development.
That same commitment to human performance now extends to the Mercedes-AMG F1 Academy Team. Every team member will have access to BetterUp’s platform to build and strengthen the mental resilience, and agility that elite competition demands.
“Peak performance isn’t industry-specific. Whether you're a Fortune 500 executive navigating volatility or a driver pushing 200 miles per hour, it demands the same fundamentals: mental resilience and adaptability,” said Alexi Robichaux, CEO & Co-founder of BetterUp. “We've seen firsthand what this investment produces with the Mercedes-AMG PETRONAS F1 Team. Extending that commitment to the junior programme competing in F1 Academy reflects a simple truth: the teams that invest in their people are the teams that win.”
Racing for Mercedes-AMG Formula One Academy Team and carrying BetterUp’s branding is Payton Westcott, an American driver from Laguna Beach, California. Heading into the season, Westcott already made history as the first female outright winner in the Formula Trophy UAE, claiming victory at the Dubai Autodrome, a signal of the competitive readiness she brings to the F1 Academy grid.
Launched in 2023, F1 Academy™ is an all-female single-seater racing series created by Formula 1® to accelerate the identification and progression of female talent in motorsport, both on and off the track. The series addresses a stark reality: women and girls represent just 10% of participation in motorsport across all levels, from grassroots karting to elite competition — a gap that F1 Academy was explicitly created to close. Now in its third season, the series features 14 races across seven rounds, all held alongside the FIA Formula One World Championship™. Broadcast in over 160 territories by more than 35 broadcasters, F1 Academy™ is also streamed live worldwide, bringing the next generation of female racing talent to a global audience.
BetterUp partners with more than 750 organizations globally — from Fortune 500 companies to elite sports teams — delivering measurable gains in resilience, leadership, and performance through world-class coaching, AI-powered technology, and behavioral science. Built on insights from millions of coaching sessions and guided by a Science Board of leading researchers, BetterUp has established the evidence base for human transformation at scale. The expansion of the Mercedes-AMG PETRONAS F1 Team partnership to include their F1 Academy Team reflects BetterUp's mission to help people everywhere live with greater clarity, purpose, and passion. To learn more, visit BetterUp.com.
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