Lewis Hamilton's Mercedes W11 with new livery, 2020

Mercedes reveals new black “end racism” livery for F1 car

2020 F1 season

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Mercedes has revealed a new black livery for its Formula 1 car emblazoned with the motto “end racism” on its Halo.

The team said the unexpected announcement of a new look for the 2020 F1 season is “a signal of the team’s commitment to fighting racism and discrimination in all its forms.”

Lewis Hamilton, who has spoken out strongly in support of anti-racism protests in recent weeks, thanked team principal Toto Wolff for agreeing to the change from the team’s usual silver livery, which it will run throughout this year’s championship.

“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,” said Hamilton.

“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.”

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Mercedes’ new look will be accompanied by a commitment to improving diversity within its team. According to Mercedes, just 12% of its employees are women, and only 3% are from minority ethnic backgrounds.

The team intends to launch a new programme during 2020 to promote diversity and inclusion. In a statement it said this will include: “Continuing to listen to and raise the awareness of our team members; forensic analysis of our recruitment and development processes; collaboration with the sport’s key stakeholders to improve accessibility to our sport; and targeted education initiatives to encourage and support talented people from under-represented backgrounds who aspire to reach F1.”

Team principal Toto Wolff said the team intends to “attract the very best talents from the broadest possible range of backgrounds” and thanked the team owner Mercedes for supporting the decision to depart from its traditional silver livery.

“Racism and discrimination have no place in our society, our sport or our team,” said Wolff. “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.”

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Lewis Hamilton, Mercedes, W11 launch, Silverstone, 2020
Mercedes’ W11 first appeared like this…
Lewis Hamilton's Mercedes W11 with new livery, 2020
…but it will race in this livery

2020 F1 season

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Keith Collantine
Lifelong motor sport fan Keith set up RaceFans in 2005 - when it was originally called F1 Fanatic. Having previously worked as a motoring...

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137 comments on “Mercedes reveals new black “end racism” livery for F1 car”

  1. That is absolutely beautiful.

    1. 10 times better than the regular boring livery.

      1. Looks great now, I know this is a new look but their silver is awful.

      2. This is a mistake.

        Why break the mold of Silver success?

        I think it looks awful and I do support the message but why do we need the constant reminders. Far too many changes, I think we get the point. Formula One should just remain as it is and that is the message. We are Formula one and we support the message and we just don’t need to paint our cars. We get it.

        LETS RETURN TO SILVER PLEASE

        1. From an aesthetic point of view I much prefer the silver too, but they’re doing it for a great cause so, no, keep the black

        2. Joe Pineapples
          29th June 2020, 19:31

          Looks like a remote control car from poundland.

        3. haha as if the colour determined their success. Someone’s going to bring up the special white livery in Germany last year, but they were pretty rubbish in 2010 to 2013 in silver too.

          1. Looks like minardi

        4. Jack R Waldvogel
          14th September 2020, 5:25

          I prefer the silver …. changing for the reason Mercedes claims is bogus ….. there is no “racism” in the world today …. there are “racist” people of every “race” but it is not systemic as the media would have you believe … as a matter of fact I would say that the percentage of “racist” folks in any “race” is about the same ….. a small percentage with troubled minds, few social skills and destructive tendencies ….. Just sayin’ …..

    2. @sravan-pe Yes! And in more than one way.

  2. I’m so happy to be able to see a Mercedes with a different colour scheme. And what a livery it is, it looks amazing. Reminds me a bit of the 2016 McLaren, but with neon blue instead of red.

    1. Also, is it for the whole season or simply for Austria?

      1. From what the team has said about it,

        “unexpected announcement of a new look for the 2020 F1 season”

        it is a livery for the 2020 season @mashiat.

        I really like it too. Stunning.

        1. If Lewis went back to his old yellow or gold helmet colors I think it would really complement the new livery well.

      2. Mercedes’s only sign of weakness last year was in Austria, in the heat and altitude, where they had to lift and cost more than rivals due to overheating. If they are going to Austria in this black livery (which is certain to bring the temperatures a lot higher than the silver one) then the season is probably over before it began.

        1. @gechichan The figures around mid to even high-30s are unlikely to occur this time around, though, so Mercedes should be fine. Figures from 19 to the mid-20s are forecasted for both weekends with a chance of rain for both race-days.

        2. AJ (@asleepatthewheel)
          29th June 2020, 12:49

          @gechichan I suppose the engineers at Brackley would have taken it into account

          1. yeah, that’s what I’m saying too: if they are confident enough to go with a black livery directly to the race that got them in trouble in 2019 (even though, as @jerejj points out, temperatures most likely won’t be as high this year), then the cooling of the new car should be significantly improved.

        3. @gechichan I wouldn’t necessarily rely on it happening two years in a row. I’m sure Mercedes has learnt from last year, plus they’ve probably had more time to prepare for this race specifically than any race in modern F1 history. And let’s not forget, they can also make alterations for the 2nd race based on their findings from the 1st weekend. Red Bull might benefit from the altitude with their Honda power unit. Plus, Verstappen seems to go well here, while this isn’t Hamilton’s best track. So those factors might play a bigger role.

        4. James Norris
          29th June 2020, 14:15

          If this was the case then every F1 car would be white and the 70’s JPS Lotus’s would’ve been backmarkers

        5. @gechichan I’m sure they have solved their PU reliability, besides new PU’s for the 2 austria races.

        6. Wouldn’t the heating issue be related to radiators, which are normally black, and the air moving through them? Also, there is heat emitted from the engines and electric motors and such like, but again that’s internal heat. I don’t think the issue of solar generated heat on the exterior panels would be of much importance compared to the internally generated heat.

  3. I know the message is the more important part, but this is really striking.
    The fact that this change is for the whole season rather than just a one off also means a lot more, butstill a paint job is only a tiny nod to a significant change that needs to happen.

    Not significant, but I bet Codemasters are thrilled with a 2nd livery change so close to release date.

    1. Indeed @eurobrun.
      Very pleasing design execution which will certainly help to spread the message.

  4. Well…”Lewis, we support you very much, here’s your black (wink) car.” Doesn’t sound like the best of the signals from Mercedes, although I appreciate something different. Design is eye-catching, the rational behind it rather clumsy.

    Also, the Codemasters are going to have a hell of a summer.

  5. Bit of an unexpected one there. But it really shows to the world that Mercedes is wholly behind their world champion driver with the message. And they seem to be solidly on message with the initiatives announced both by Hamilton and by F1 to support more diversity and an end to racism.

    Oh, and the livery is really great looking too on top.

    And no Rokit on it either.

    1. @bascb plenty of room to put it on the side of the tub.

      1. Yes, there certainly is room on the car if they are still talking and want to announce that later. And the Rokit logo would now fit in with hte livery. Or they could just put in ROKiT lettering in the red patch on the lower sides of the rear wing, off course @optimaximal

    2. Agree that it is a nice gesture, a great cause and a very nice livery… but I hope that all teams won’t follow as that would be a bit dull to have only black cars. Mercedes has been leading the field both on and off the track lately (can’t argue that Ferrari has made huge stride from where they were coming from and got a lot more enjoyable).

      I also hope that everything leads to something, both to allow people from all background into racing and to make the world equal between gender and ethnicity.

      1. Yeah, having an all black field would not be the best thing liverywise @jeanrien, I sure enough agree with that. Although I think the Williams livery would look fine enough if they put in a rainbow to replace the blue accent running along their latest livery!

        With Mercedes leading the field on track, and showing they are on message and working together with Lewis and on the same page with him (and the sport) does give some hope that they can help bring some much needed change.
        There are so many talented people out there in the world, it makes huge sense to finally tap into all the experiences and ideas that can surely only make this a better place for everyone.

  6. That livery is absolutely stunning, hopefuly Mercs will run for entire season.

  7. That looks Amazing. Just saw it on the Mercedes twitter and for a second i thought it is an April fool thingy.

  8. I know I said this before, but for the love of god Codemasters must be pulling their hair out.

    1. Just think of the added extra PR when they can present this livery though @bernasaurus.

      Making a new livery probably isn’t that complicated – afterall they even implemented a tool to make your own livery for the “my team” play already.

      They will be far more on the backfoot if people start pushing to see Mugello and Portimao tracks included (although with Mugello, maybe Ferrari might be willing to chip in? And provide accurate 3D imaging), since that is a major thing they just won’t be able to do.

      1. I think they’ve already ruled out new tracks being implemented.

      2. @bascb I’m highly doubtful we’ll see those tracks on F1 2020, as they had both the 3-D CAD models and the laser-scans for Zandvoort and it still probably took months to fully design the track. Add to that the fact that the AI drivers etc. will have to be programmed and it might be worth more hassle than they’ll be willing to deal with.

        1. They don’t use laser scans. It’s done by hand/eye guesswork from videos and photos.

          1. They don’t laser scan tracks, true, but in case of Zandvoort they did it (which makes it the only laser scanned track in game as far as I know). A strange mix of a realistic track and F1 physics that’ll be.

      3. yes, they indeed have (meaning only Hockenheim would be brought in, if it does get a race) @ecwdanselby, they really cannot just implement these tracks without massive work to build them from scratch @mashiat.

        That was why Codemasters would really be in a bad place if these tracks all do get on the calendar, since there will inevitably be fans who will call for them to put them in regardless. And will even get angry at them, talk about how bad the game is because of it.

  9. Lets see if over the next year we’ll see some non-white faces in the upper echelons of the Mercedes F1 organization (and hopefully across all teams). This kind of brand exercise is all good and well, but a very futile one if their entire pit wall and all their top engineers remain white.

    1. This will be no different to any other big organisation that pursues a more inclusive policy. It takes time for that to permeate the upper echelons. Same with earnings. Equal pay has been the law for decades but one of the reasons women are still behind is that it takes time to go from the ground floor to the top. Time will rectify that.

    2. Jack (@jackisthestig)
      29th June 2020, 12:47

      Who should they get rid of to make room for these new faces?

      1. Funny thing is it is massively apparent that across the white western world people are discriminated against when applying for jobs. It has been proven time and time again when two applications are identical but one has a clearly ethnic minority name, it’ll be the ordinary white sounding name who will get further in the process. It’s not even necessarily a deliberately racist policy, it is the inherent racism in people that they maybe don’t even realise they suffer from that helps make millions of these small but decisive decisions day in day out across the world that helps keep black and ethnic minorities out of positions they had all the qualifications they needed for, but were always disproportionately and artificially kept from. So the question is less “who is going to lose out”, and more, “who deserves a job in future that might actually get the chance now?”

        By rights all hiring processes should be completely blind as to who the applicant is and should be based on merit and merit alone, with no hidden questions that help to root out who might have gone to a posh school etc, another way the more well off also get a leg up time and time again over working classes and everyone else. It’s time for a massive change.

    3. Lewis needs to get on the front foot and start demanding black engineers at Mercedes, a black technical director.

      1. Only blacks would obviously be discrimination to all the other colored people.

        He should really start with replacing his own white assistant Angela Cullen.

  10. Does this mean that the ‘We Race As One’ rainbow needs to change as well?
    Decal change on all cars :P

  11. Adam (@rocketpanda)
    29th June 2020, 12:18

    Anti-racism livery does make me think of the Honda Earthdreams livery. Good intentioned but strange coming from an organisation that doesn’t really do what its championing all that well. Either way the black Mercedes looks nice, but the whole field now is very… black/grey/white. Teams! There are other colours!

    1. Honda did exactly what they were supporting.
      They made an effort to support the Earth by leaving F1 completely after 2 years with the Earthdreams livery.

  12. Stunning! It looks mean!

  13. I always found the Mercedes livery to look a bit bland, but this is really stunning – I can’t wait to see it on track.

    I absolutely support their message too and it’s great that they are using their position in the sport to promote progressive thinking, especially when former figures such as Bernie are wheeled out and still used by the media as a spokesperson for F1.

  14. Nice, but I prefer the predominantly grey-livery scheme. Not that I wouldn’t get used to this one, but predominantly black just doesn’t seem fit for Mercedes’ F1-cars.

  15. Chris Horton
    29th June 2020, 12:31

    Codemasters are having a mare.

  16. Intentions aside (which are great) that is one stunning looking car.

  17. Silver car lives matter, this is racism at it’s finest…. 🙄

  18. Jockey Ewing
    29th June 2020, 13:03

    I like the idea, but I’d mix a bit of silver in at least. A silver-black gradient or some high contrast silver stripes could be interesting here and there. I dont like the engine cover too much, as the stars at that amount is a bit too much and too plain with that high contrast. Probably there is where I’d apply gradient, on the small stars (silver-black or black-white) to make them more subtle and blend in a bit. I don’t mind dropping some of those engine cover stars either, or to apply multiple kind of gradients per stars to make some stand out and make some blend in very much. Or have stars with varying sizes.

  19. I don’t really think that painting the cars black (if they really wanted to they could’ve also not bowed to the Petronas interest and painted their logo black too) is anything other than latching onto a zeitgeist in a rather trinketized way.

    Actually put your money where your mouth is and work to change the ethnic makeup of workforces etc or don’t bother with gimmicks like this.

  20. Reminds me a bit when they changed the inner stripe on the groove tyres to green instead of white. Hope it’s not a token gesture such as this, but sounds like they are doing it for the right reasons.

  21. Is that an actual paint job or carbons natural colour? Weight saving?

    1. @emu55 I would think it’s painted. However, since it is definitely carbon underneath, which is dark in itself, a black paint can be much thinner and will weigh less than a good coating of silver or any other color. This is one of the reasons why most teams does not paint the lower parts of the cars, or paint them in dark colors. Perfect opportunity this for Mercedes to shave off a few more grams and disguise it as a good cause political statement.

      1. Why would teams want to make lower parts of the car lighter? This statement is contrary to what is the usually goal, lowering center of gravity.

        That being said, I doubt very much that the weight of the paint of the car can have a significant effect either way. It’s more likely that they do not paint the bottom of the car as it gets damaged a lot and gets significant amount of debris on it.

        1. @Peyton
          Lower overall weight is more important than lowering the center of mass. If they can remove any weight anywhere, they will do that. But also, any mass removed will most likely be made up for with ballast to meet minimum wight rules. That ballast will always be even lower placed in the car, right down inside the floor or front wing center section, which would then actually lower the overall center of mass regardless.

          Paint does seem to be a ridiculously small weight save at first glance. But think of it in the form of a bucket or can with paint rather than after it has been applied. Full paint cans are not light weight. It would take probably a few liters, therefor several kilograms, to paint the entire car. Painting only half of it, or less, could no doubt save a couple of kilos. And it is weight that would be spread out over the outside, as far away from the center of mass as it can be, which is greatly affecting rotational inertia. Lower inertia in a car will make it easier to rotate around corners even if the weight is the same.

          The reasons for saving on paint on only the lower half of the car are of course many. Branding is one, the top half is more visible so teams and sponsors want that to stand out in their respective colors. The lower part is full of small aero parts that are time consuming to paint, gets replaced often, collects a lot of dirt and teams might want to keep them difficult for opponents and media to see or photograph. So if you are going to save on paint, the lower half of the car is the more reasonable option in the real world. Everything is a compromise.

  22. Actions speak louder than liveries.

    Its very pretty though..

    1. Sorry I posted almost exactly what you said. Then I read yours. (although I get deleted alot here)

  23. Unpopular opinion here, but I prefer this over Bubba’s BLM livery..

  24. Shouldn’t all colours of people be represented because the scourge of racism exists all over the world and affects all races?

  25. Mercedes thinks they can re-image their way out of their own racism problem? They have 12% women and 3% minority and people are applauding a livery change? Actions speak louder than images. I’m surprised people buy into this.

    1. So whats the average employment stats for minorities within motorsports top teams compared to Mercedes? And whats the %age of women who work in high performance car engineering within the UK compared to Mercedes F1?

    2. They have a small minority of women, that’s true.
      Probably it’s due to the fact women are far less likely to apply to a job at Mercedes F1 team.
      Just saying.

    3. Well, what do you suggest, quotas? Since Mercedes is a German company located in Europe, you can expect the numbers will more or less copy the natural demographics. You can fool the reality with the fake worries for social justice.

    4. Mercedes have won 6 championship in a row making them the most successful team ever. I think they are hiring the right people for the job and not choosing by ethnic group or gender.

      People need to realize that forcing diversity is wrong, people need to be hired depending on your capability to do a job and how good you are, not if it makes your team more diverse or not.

      1. William Jones
        29th June 2020, 21:26

        Exactly, all we ask is equal opportunity, not equal results.

  26. The livery is stunning, but, holy crap Mercedes and Hamilton, give us a break with this racism stuff.

    1. give us a break with this racism stuff

      So you’re saying black people should just put up with racism? Bold take

      1. kevin citron
        29th June 2020, 21:01

        no, you’re right, this livery will definitely solve the problem of racism

        1. Yep that’s exactly what I said. Good to know racists still have less than 5 braincells to rub together.

    2. petebaldwin (@)
      30th June 2020, 2:07

      Interesting – “give us a break with this racism stuff” is what minorities have been saying for years but as they got ignored, we’re now where we are….

  27. Dutchguy (@justarandomdutchguy)
    29th June 2020, 13:46

    at least the red looks better this way

  28. Hi Keith.. Is this the first black works mercedes race car? (not just f1 but in other motorsport too) thanks.

    1. @david-beau Mercedes used to run a black C class in DTM a few years ago.

      1. They ran black cars at GT World Cup in Macau a couple of years ago

        https://sportscar365.com/other-series/gt-world-cup/mercedes-amg-liveries-revealed-for-macau/

  29. looks awesome!!!

  30. Sameer Cader (@)
    29th June 2020, 14:25

    This is ugly and goes away from Mercedes traditional silver arrows livery. Imagine if Ferrari decided to paint its car yellow.

    1. Well the last time they painted one yellow it lead at Spa.

    2. tony mansell
      29th June 2020, 16:39

      Its actually a myth that Ferrari’s are painted red. They just get embarrassed a lot.

  31. I’m sorry, but this is the biggest racist thing that anyone can do. I mean… how are you gonna fight racism by painting your car black? how is that going to help? why fight racism by pointing out that there is a difference between races?
    I believe the best way to fight racism is by the slogan “we are the same” by uniting people… not by fighting each other. Painting your car black is like sending a message that says that only “blacks” matter… like no one cares about ‘other races’ and Implying that there are different races and we are different.

    The car looks awesome though.

    1. The biggest racist thing anyone can do? Err, OK.

      1. I know, sorry about that… Obviously it is not, but I’m referring and how teams are managing this movement of “fighting racism”

        1. nps. I can imagine a number within Mercedes having doubts over this approach until someone showed them what the car was going to look like!

    2. @luigismen White Europeans spread slavery of Africans and indigenous peoples around the world, as part of Europe’s global economic expansion, and subsequently developed numerous theological and later scientific ‘justifications,’ including racialized evolutionary theory, scientific racism and racial eugenics. The legacy is still very much with us. Pretending institutionalized racism doesn’t still exist isn’t going to solve anything. The evidence that police forces and justice systems are rife with racial prejudice is overwhelming. Just yesterday, a father and his 15-year old son out cycling were attacked by police in London, the son hurled off his bike by one officer leaping out in front of him, left bruised, cut and left in a state of profound shock, for the crime of being black, like an alleged perpetrator of a crime somewhere else. The police barely apologised for the assault. Would they have done that to a white father and son in a park? No way. That’s what ‘institutionalized racism’ means. While you may be happy pretending races don’t exist, others in positions of power still see them and discriminate accordingly. What are you going to do to change that?

      1. For thousands of years, white Europeans spread slavery even among themselves, enslaving other nations and even calling them accordingly (Slaves – Slavs). White Europeans from Balkans and Central Europe were taken by thousands and millions into Ottoman slavery. If you’re ashamed for your colonial past, please, be ashamed and whip youself sadistically, but stop spreading your guilt among Europeans as a whole. Also, accusing Europeans of spreading slavery across the globe is extremely ignorant, almost ridiculous to say – nearly all the communities in the past had slaves even among themselves and if it wasn’t for the European enlightment and the subsequent technical progress, it would be thriving in less developed societies. African tribes and Arab traders were already engaged in slavery a big time when the Europeans came. Educate yourself.

        1. @pironitheprovocateur Europeans literally globalized slavery, that’s the point. I’m well aware of local enslavement practices as aspects of tribal warfare in many parts of the world, Europe included. But Europeans industrialized slavery, connecting it intimately to economic exploitation and the seizure of lands and resources across continents. It was an entirely different scale. Education from you? What a joke.

        2. @pironitheprovocateur

          nearly all the communities in the past had slaves even among themselves and if it wasn’t for the European enlightment and the subsequent technical progress, it would be thriving in less developed societies. African tribes and Arab traders were already engaged in slavery a big time when the Europeans came. Educate yourself

          Arab slavery trade -the one you were referring to- and slavery in general was abolished in Tunisia on 23 January 1846, 35 years before the French colonization of Tunisia and 21 years before it was abolished in the USA.
          The European enlightenment as you call, or simply the colonization as the historians call it did nothing in the Arabic African countries but drain their resources and kill their peoples.
          I think you should have known that the countries you were talking about were countries with great civilizations and didn’t wait for the European enlightenment to thrive, it’s the exact opposite with the exception of the Roman Empire and ancient Greece.
          Have you ever heard of ancient Egypt, Carthage, Babylon… ? I think @david-br do have a valid point though about your advise with regard to education.

      2. “Just yesterday, a father and his 15-year old son out cycling were attacked by police in London, the son hurled off his bike by one officer leaping out in front of him, left bruised, cut and left in a state of profound shock, for the crime of being black”
        So you’re saying the police jumped out in front of them because they are black?
        There is no other context to this story?
        It was just because they are black, Wow!

    3. Suffering Williams Fan
      29th June 2020, 17:29

      One of the reasons people are opting for slogans like “black lives matter” rather than the “we’re all the same” approach is because context matters (David BR neatly summarised some of that context above). A key aspect of the messaging is about shining a light on the fact that black lives are being undervalued relative to white lives (for example), drawing attention to a specific problem, rather than hiding the group that is suffering from view within more general notions of equality, which allows people to avoid addressing the actual problem. While there is clearly much more work that needs to be done, by changing their livery in this way, Mercedes are at least being consistent with this approach to the messaging.

      1. @ Suffering Williams Fan
        If you believe this is true “black lives are being undervalued relative to white lives”.
        In these times that does not ring true, it is a perception among those that choose to believe it. Racism does exist, no one can argue that, but your view does nothing to help anything, it just undermines any trust that has been gained. You can blab on about context ETC, but yours is not the only context, that is why a neutral stand is the better option
        I believe what you are looking for is “black lives are being portrayed as undervalued relative to white lives” by folk like yourself.
        I too have been bullied, hurt, discriminated against for reasons I do nat care to share, but I have never branded any group for it. life sometimes sucks, get up and achieve or blame the world, up to you.

  32. Mercedes: *paints a car black*
    Racism: *ends*
    If only Martin Luther King had thought of that!

    I mean, come on.

    1. @palagyi clearly the point is to use their platform and global visibility to continue promoting discussion around racism.

      Will painting a car black end racism? Of course not, not directly anyway. But a lot of people, and indeed many within these comments sections, appear to be tiring of the media surrounding this topic or just flat out refuse to accept that there’s a problem anyway. We all have a responsibility to not let those voices distract from the changes that need to be made, and Mercedes commitment to improving diversity within their team and the sport is arguably the bigger story here. A very welcome one too.

      1. You’re absolutely right on one point: a lot of people, including me, are getting tired of the media surrounding the topic. I’m pretty sure it’s not just me who feels companies like Mercedes (or look at Gilette with there ‘boys will be boys’ ad a few years ago) are in no position to suggest that they are better or know any better than anybody. What did they actually do to actually help? Nothing, that’s what.

        What they do instead is just a shallow, pretentious and fake virtue signaling that I simply can’t understand how people can buy into. Painting a car, plastering rainbows, writing hashtags and crap like that will achieve nothing, especially if they do that in this self-rightous manner.

        The same goes for Hamilton too. He’s just a talented racer, nothing less, but nothing more. He has a practically immeasureable wealth: if he wants to help, he should stick to that instead of narrowing down a wide range of opinions to either fully agreeing with him and thus being right, or else risk being labeled “uneducated”.

        1. “ The same goes for Hamilton too. He’s just a talented racer, nothing less, but nothing more. He has a practically immeasureable wealth: if he wants to help, he should stick to that instead of narrowing down a wide range of opinions to either fully agreeing with him and thus being right, or else risk being labeled “uneducated”.

          Oh wow

        2. You are right, the world is being played by this racism nonsense, the media is pushing this narrative, it’s all rubbish. Sure there are bad cops and people out there, but a tiny amount.

          We are being divided for political purpose, wake up everyone !

      2. @sparkyamg

        Journalist Lee Fang had to publicly apologize for publishing a quote by a black person who asked for people to be more concerned about the high level of black-on-black crime. A UCLA professor has been placed under investigation for quoting Martin Luther King. A data scientist was fired for pointing to a study that nonviolent protest achieves its goals better. Surveys also show that most people feel silenced by political correctness, not empowered to have a discussion.

        So this is clearly not about “promoting discussion around racism,” but silencing people with different opinions and not allowing certain facts to be pointed out.

        Smart people who aren’t mindless drones that parrot the popular opinion, only discuss this anonymously or not at all, to keep safe from the new red guards.

        1. @aapje that is a very big leap you’ve made between a company publicly committing to improving diversity within their team and ‘silencing people with different opinions’.

          I don’t disagree that unpopular opinions often get silenced but that has absolutely nothing to do with Mercedes or the point I was making about needing to continue the discussion about racism.

          Unconscious bias (favouring one race or gender over another without realising it) is arguably the biggest and most damaging form of racism. I’m not ashamed to admit that although I’ve never classed myself as racist I have always subconsciously made assumptions about people based on race, and to a lesser extent, gender. I still do, despite all the media and awareness campaigns over the years. The difference now, is that I’m consciously aware that I’m doing it and I can actively challenge those assumptions before they end up having a negative effect on any interaction (directly or indirectly) I may have with a person.

          This same bias exists heavily in recruitment processes and is exactly what Mercedes are trying to improve. Don’t try and belittle thir intent or make it out to be something it’s not.

          1. @sparkyamg

            My point is that you can’t have a true discussion when people feel threatened. It just becomes a sermon, that many people endure out of fear.

            Lots of the claims are debatable and/or there are other aspects to it, but actually trying to debate those puts you in danger.

  33. I like it, reminds me of the early 90’s Sauber-Mercedes livery.

  34. Love it, looks spectacular, how about heat, haven’t Merc had cooling problems before ?

  35. It looks good, but I don’t like it.

    I don’t think it really highlights the fight for equality, rather it was something like that: “-Everyone is talking about black… what can we do?… *silence*… -Paint the car black? -Ingenious *applauses*”

  36. First impression is this is a mess. It looks stupid in all black. Mercedes losses it’s image as a silver arrow and fails to still stand out. Few teams have done black well exceptions being the Lotus of Chapman’s era. Those cars grabbed black and they stood out. Even today black racecars have never captured the Lotus image. Maybe Walter Wolfs did. Today the Haas misses it too. Like I said few make black look right. Now Mercedes joins that list of making your racer look like it still needs to be painted again, maybe Silver?

    A more effective measure would have been to paint just the front of the car black. All black no livery up to the cockpit. Then continue the rich heritage of the most dominant Racecar of this century. Make the message stronger by this action.

    Skip the Black it’s too much

  37. It’s funny how Mercedes fans again sing the odes on progressivism and leadership of the silver arrows. Promoting discussion. Sending message. My god, the corporation like Mercedes doesn’t care a straw for such feelings. It’s a great opportunity for the PR department to make the whole brand more visible, present and accepted, nothing more, nothing less. A neat appearance makes for wonderful sales, and that’s what it’s all about.

    1. I hear black color is heavier, so this livery was not done for laptime.

    2. Suffering Williams Fan
      29th June 2020, 20:46

      Let’s assume for a moment that this is an entirely cynical and self-serving act on the part of Mercedes, and that not one of the executives has an ounce of humanity that might lead them to want to make even a small gesture of solidarity on the part of the corporation.

      Even in that circumstance, if a company thinks that making statements against racism is necessary from a PR perspective… good. If having to promote such messaging becomes a part of the brand, maybe just a tiny amount of that seeps into the company culture over time, and ever-so-slightly shifts the balance of decision making and attitudes in the right direction, and then more companies feel they have to do the same, and gradually more and more people find themselves in a position where they have to consider whether or not what they’re doing has a negative impact on a particular group. If it happens enough, then maybe instead of clueless individuals complaining about what a burden it is having to listen to the media talk about the ills of racism for a few weeks, black people might end up having just a tiny reduction in the lifelong, daily burden of racism. A wildly optimistic view no doubt, but I live in hope.

      1. @Suffering Williams Fan

        black people might end up having just a tiny reduction in the lifelong, daily burden of racism.

        Yet I’ve also heard quite a few black people say that they experienced just a handful of racist events during their lives. Hamilton also could only point to some events during his childhood, not daily racism.

        The people who claim that they constantly face racism typically attribute everything bad they experience to racism and/or get upset about friendly interest in their heritage or such. For example, a very popular activist in my country wrote a book about the racism she allegedly experienced, including being fined for riding public transport without a ticket. Yet I’m white and was fined for the same, when I forgot my pass. Another example is that I read a story by a plus-sized woman who had a man look upset when he figured out that he was seated next to her on the airplane. She assumed racism, where it seemed obvious to me that her body size might have been the reason.

        In neither of these cases was there actual evidence of racism. No racist words were said, nor was there any other evidence of a racist motive. Instead, it seemed to me that this was (racist) pattern matching. To these people, a white person doing something they dislike is automatically assumed to be racism.

        This idea that all black people face daily racism seems to largely be a belief of group of white people, fueled by heavily biased media, causing a moral panic.

  38. Please stop.

    1. Yes, that’s what was said, you can clearly hear it on the video. But he didn’t listen and didn’t stop. And now we are where we are.

  39. It’s a very good idea in principle, but blacking up a silver arrow…..hmmm….not sure that’s been thought through….

    I prefer the new Williams liveray

  40. David Beverley
    29th June 2020, 19:04

    It’s nice to see something different but it just seems like a corporate ‘we’re doing something’. A different car livery ain’t gonna make a difference to anything or anybody

  41. Looks great.

    But a Lotus 79 it’ll never be.

  42. I’m not sure my eyes aren’t deceiving me, but if I compare the silver nosetip to the black one, it seems like there is now a ridged edge around the round/oval bit and the tip itself is pointier/less circular in shape. Anyone else seeing this? Or am I looking at it the wrong way?

  43. Why race at all? Let’s give the WCC to the most antiracist team and be done with it

  44. Sergey Martyn
    29th June 2020, 20:39

    I see a line of cars and they’re all painted black…
    I wanna see it painted, painted black
    Black as night, black as coal
    I wanna see the sun, blotted out from the sky
    I wanna see it painted, painted, painted, painted black

    © 1966 Rolling Stones ‘Paint it Black’

    1. ‘…. and as Presuming Ed here has so consistently pointed out, we have failed to paint it black’. Danny 1969

  45. kevin citron
    29th June 2020, 21:01

    good luck w/ that overheating probelm, merc

  46. I was wondering about that, I wanted an all black Windsurfing board, the shaper said bad idea, it could get so hot it could de-laminate.

  47. F1oSaurus (@)
    29th June 2020, 21:41

    Mythbusters showed that a black car got only a few degrees hotter than a white one. And that’s when standing still. With a 1000pk on board and all the heat that produces, that tiny bit of heat from the sun is not going to make a difference.

    1. I vaguely remember that one, was it something like the black car heated up a lot quicker but they topped out at almost the same temperature?

  48. Good to see Merc committing even more to their sponsors. The car now matches the hearts of Petronas and Ineos.

  49. Love the look and the message, but hate the innuendo that racism is only perpetrated against “Black” people.

  50. As a black man all this forced “anti racism ” stuff is embarrassing and just strives to separate all of us even more . I never felt like I was oppressed until the whole world starting saying I should feel oppressed and deserved special treatment .

    1. You are so right, the media and politicians are the problem, everything happening right now is the deep state falling apart, trying everything they can to get Trump out of America so he doesn’t expose all their sins.

      The truth is coming, people have had enough of the media narrative.

    2. Thank you.

  51. Beautifull !!

    But what a bunch of muppets, can’t they see that racism is being used by a certain political party at the moment? the media are complicit as well, constantly talking about black vs white.
    It’s all rubbish, there is barely any racism in the world, just stop talking about it and it goes away, the media is the problem together with politicians. Enough already !

    1. T3x u are soo utterly wrong. “there is barely any racism in the world” are you living with your head in the sand? To deny there is racism is like the people who say they dont see race. Then a zebra has no stripes hey. All are just horses. Or asses…

      1. I said barely any racism, stop watching TV, that will fix the problem.

  52. New look is awsome. Like a silver arrow meets knight rider! If people can remember Kit.

  53. If painting a car black is anti-racist, then painting it white, is racist. All white cars are now racist!

  54. So much PR…..racism is the problem. IMO, there are two type of the racism:
    1- Plain (blatant) racism: white supremacists, hooligans, bigots, KKK support this type of racism
    2- Covert (hidden) racism: the racists even say they are not racist but, they receive a job application from a black guy or an Asian, a black family wants to move in their neighbourhood, an Asian guy wants to be NASCAR driver etc. The racist will not give the minority a chance (they send a letter: “we deeply regret to inform you that …“) and knows he will not be found and there are no consequences.
    While the activists fight and address the type 1, nobody is even bothered to think about the type 2. I believe, type 2 is more dangerous and will last much longer. The racial prejudice will not get out of the mind of many people easily.
    All big companies are “superficial” and they are not seriously commited to the social and racial injustice. “I should only look good” is the motto of show-biz and industrial companies. By stating you are not racist or you are supporting diversity, you did not do anything against racism.

  55. Where is the nhs badge?

  56. Mercedes cars have always been called “Silver Arrows”. What are we going to call them now ? “Black Arrows” ? Does that not sound a bit racist the other way round ?

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