Mercedes-AMG Petronas Formula One team has decided to change the livery of their cars to black for the upcoming F1 season to show their support for the Black Lives Matter movement.
Mercedes Team Principal Toto Wolff confirmed on Monday that Lewis Hamilton and Valterri Bottas’s cars will turn black for the delayed 2020 F1 season, which is scheduled to start from July 3 in Austria.
The decision comes in the wake of the recent protests against racism and discrimination for which Formula One even announced an initiative last week.
“Racism and discrimination have no place in our society, our sport or our team: this is a core belief of Mercedes. But having the right beliefs and the right mindset isn’t enough if we remain silent.
“We wish to use our voice and our global platform to speak up for respect and equality, and the Silver Arrow will race in black for the entire 2020 season to show our commitment to greater diversity within our team and our sport,” Toto Wolff said.
Introducing our new 2020 livery A pledge to improve the diversity of our team and our sport, and a signal of the Team’s commitment to fighting racism and discrimination in all its forms. pic.twitter.com/ZYzCsFl6Mv
— Mercedes-AMG F1 (@MercedesAMGF1) June 29, 2020
In addition to changing the colours of their car, Hamilton and Bottas will also race in black overalls in 2020, with both drivers adapting their helmet designs.
“We want to build a legacy that goes beyond sport, and if we can be the leaders and can start building more diversity within our own business, it will send such a strong message and give others the confidence to begin a dialogue about how they can implement change,” Hamilton said.
Formula One announced an initiative on June 22 which will be aimed at tackling racism and encouraging more diversity within the series.
F1 said in a statement that “We Race As One” will also address issues surrounding inequality, sustainability and the coronavirus pandemic, which has led to four F1 races being canceled and delayed the season’s start from mid-March to July.
World champion Lewis Hamilton has also launched a commission to help motorsport engage more young people from black backgrounds and drive diversity.
The commission will explore how motorsport can be a vehicle to engage more young people from black backgrounds with science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) subjects.
It will also consider the lack of role models, the barriers to people from more diverse backgrounds and “problematic hiring practices” that mean fewer black graduates go into engineering professions.
Formula One will have 3 races on successive weekends to get the 2020 season started, which was stalled since March due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
