The AMG Petronas Formula 1 Team has announced that they will be running in an all-black base livery for the remainder of the 2020 season, a statement that they stand against racism and discrimination in all forms. Upon making the announcement they also pledged they would be further improving the diversity of their team and work towards improving the diversity in the sport itself.
Also featuring on the car will be a call to end racism featured on the halo of both cars and the #WeRaceAsOne tag on the mirrors of the W11 as the public support for the Black Lives Matter movement continues to grow.
The team has looked internally at their figures and have released that just 3% of their workforce identifies as belonging to minority ethnic groups and only 12% of their employees are women.
In their statement released on the 29th June, the team said the lack of diversity shows that they need to find new approaches to attract talent from many areas of society that they currently do not reach and recognise that our team will be stronger if we can attract talents from the broadest possible pool and are wanting to achieve this through positive action.
Markus Schaefer, Member of the Board of Management Daimler AG, Responsible for Group Research and Non-Executive Chairman of the Mercedes-AMG Petronas F1 Team said: “In recent weeks, events around the world have reinforced the importance of continuing to fight against racism and all forms of discrimination. At Mercedes, we know that the strength of our organisation lies in the diversity of our people, and we are proud to be able to use one of our most prominent global platforms to signal our commitment to this fundamental principle of our society and our business.”
Toto Wolff, Team Principal & CEO of the Mercedes-AMG Petronas F1 Team commented: “Racism and discrimination have no place in our society, our sport or our team: this is a core belief at 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. 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.”
Lewis Hamilton said: “It’s so important that we seize this moment and use it to educate ourselves whether you are an individual, brand or company to make real meaningful changes when it comes to ensuring equality and inclusivity. I have personally experienced racism in my life and seen my family and friends experience racism, and I am speaking from the heart when I appeal for change. When I spoke to Toto about my hopes for what we could achieve as a team, I said it was so important that we stand united. I would like to say a huge thank you to Toto and the Mercedes Board for taking the time to listen, to talk, and to really understand my experiences and passion, and for making this important statement that we are willing to change and improve as a business. 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.”
Valtteri Bottas concluded: “Formula One is a world that is defined by performance, but it still contains many barriers for people who come from backgrounds that haven’t traditionally been part of the sport. We know that our teams are stronger when they are more representative of the society we are part of, and it is important for us to be united and show our commitment to change. Racism and discrimination have no place in our sport or in our society and I am proud to stand with the team, with Lewis and with Mercedes-Benz in making this important statement.”
