Lewis Hamilton says that reverting to the original silver colour livery on his Mercedes, from the current black, saying it would be a nice change.
Mercedes painted their cars black last year in solidarity with Hamilton’s calls for global racial harmony, using Formula 1 as a high-profile platform to air his grievances and create awareness regarding racial abuse in society.
Now, over a year down the line, reverting to the iconic Silver that has been Mercedes racing trademark colours for almost a century ago is not a problem for the World Champion.
Last year Hamilton explained the motives for making a statement with the black livery: “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,” concluded Hamilton.
Mercedes team boss, Tot Wolff added at the time: “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,” said Wolff.
A year and a half down the road, Hamilton was asked by Motorsport Network: if he would countenance a change back to the original colour, he replied: “It is originally a Silver Arrow.
“When I asked if we could go to make the car black last year, in terms of the symbolism, and what we intend to do moving forward in terms of support, I wasn’t expecting it to last particularly long, and we carried it into a second season, which is awesome.
“If it goes back, it will be a nice change. It doesn’t deter us from the changes that we are making internally, as we continue to truly push for diversity, even working with all of our partners.
“Even the other day with UBS, we had these young kids come [and talk to us as we] try to inspire the next generation of engineers from all different backgrounds. We’ve got a good programme going, so it doesn’t make a difference,” added the seven-time F1 World champion.
Mercedes head to Round 16 of the 2021 F1 World Championship – the Turkish Grand Prix – leading in the F1 constructors’ points standings and Hamilton topping the drivers’ table.