Mercedes unveils all-new diversity inspired black livery for F1 2020
The Mercedes-AMG Petronas team has caused a stir ahead of the 2020 F1 World Championship opener in Austria by revealing a brand-new livery that ditches its familiar silver hues for a new black and turquoise look.
A bold departure from its traditional ‘Silver Arrow’ appearance, a look that has remained largely unchanged since Mercedes returned to the sport in 2010, the German outfit will head nonetheless head uinto 2020 with a fresh new look as it targets a seventh consecutive title with the W11.
Certainly a stealthier, more understated looking creation compatred with its predacessor, the changes also arguably have the effect of allowing the turrquoise of Petronas and the red from new backers Ineos pop even more against the black canvas, Mercedes’ decision to adopt a new look is its nod towards F1’s initiative to improve diversity and equality in the sport.
However, it is Lewis Hamilton’s impassioned connection with the Black Lives Matter movement that has ultimately inspired the new look, with team principal Toto Wolff saying this is Mercedes' clear display of unity with the cause.
“Racism and discrimination have no place in our society, our sport or our team: this is a core belief at Mercedes," he said. "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.
“We will not shy away from our weaknesses in this area, nor from the progress we must still make; our livery is our public pledge to take positive action.
“We intend to find and attract the very best talents from the broadest possible range of backgrounds, and to create credible pathways for them to reach our sport, in order to build a stronger and more diverse team in the future. I would also like to use this opportunity to thank our parent company Mercedes-Benz and our family of team partners who have supported and encouraged this initiative.”
With Hamilton emerging as a vocal supporter for the Black Lives Matters movement since the death of George Floyd at the hands of police brutality, his dedication has prompted F1 to follow suit with its own initiative, the sport last week launching the #WeRaceAsOne platform to improve diversity and equality.
Indeed, Mercedes were influenced to conduct their own workforce survey in which they discovered only 12% of its employees are women, while only three per cent identify as belonging to minority ethnic groups.
With this in mind, Mercedes says it is committed to driving these figures back up over the coming months and years to truly reflect a diverse workforce helmed by to date still the only black person to start an F1 race in Hamilton.
