Mercedes has revealed a new black livery for the 2020 Formula 1 season as part of a public pledge to increase diversity in its team, in response to recent anti-racism movements.
Mercedes has run with a silver scheme since returning to Formula 1 in 2010 but on Monday announced a new livery, while Lewis Hamilton and Valtteri Bottas will wear black overalls.
Both drivers will also modify their respective helmet designs.
In a statement Mercedes says it has “used the past weeks to listen to the perspectives of our team members, to learn and to reflect on our team as it is today and how we want it to be in the future.
“We are proud of our culture and our values. We prize the contribution of every individual, and our team members tell us that the experience within our team is an inclusive one.
“But in our organisation, just three per cent of our workforce identify as belonging to minority ethnic groups and only 12 per cent of our employees are women.
“This lack of diversity shows that we need to find new approaches to attract talent from many areas of society we do not currently reach.
“We know that our team will be stronger if we can attract talents from the broadest possible pool and we are committed to achieving this through positive action.”
Mercedes is also due to launch a Diversity and Inclusion programme before the end of 2020.
“Racism and discrimination have no place in our society, our sport or our team: this is a core belief at Mercedes,” said boss Toto Wolff.
“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.”
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