5 Questions About Our New 2020 F1 Livery, Answered
1) Why have you changed your livery?
The silver colour scheme that we revealed in February for the W11 will not be the livery that we race with in the 2020 Formula One season. Instead, we will be racing with a black livery. The reason for this is to show our commitment to the fight against racism and all forms of discrimination.Recent events have provided greater awareness that much more can and needs to be done - and more urgently - in order to address these systemic challenges. We have a global sporting platform, with hundreds of millions of Formula One fans. This is a huge opportunity that we can and should use to advocate for change and play our part in making it happen.
2) How long will the livery be used for?
Our black livery on W11 is not a one-off stunt. As a team and as a sport, we have a long way to go to improve our diversity, and a long-term commitment is needed in order to create positive and sustainable change. We will be racing with this new colour scheme for the entire 2020 Formula One season.The livery will be run on both cars, while both Lewis and Valtteri will be driving with black race suits and revised helmet designs for the entire season. These are the first steps we are taking to signal our firm commitment to taking positive action.
3) Why are you making a stand against these issues now?
We’ve always been clear that racism and any form of discrimination have no place in our team and in our society. Events in recent weeks have made us realise we need to do more - by committing to raising awareness of these issues and committing to change in order to build a more inclusive and better sport in the future. Nelson Mandela once said „Sport has the power to change the world. It has the power to inspire, it has the power to unite people in a way that little else does“.We have an opportunity to use our voice to speak a powerful message that is far bigger than sport itself. The events of recent weeks have made it very clear to us that we have not done enough to speak up and act against these issues, which impact many people around the world. They have also highlighted how much more we can do with the platform we have, to push forward positive change.
4) How diverse is your team?
Not diverse enough, is the simple answer. We know that if we can become a more diverse team, and attract talented people from under-represented backgrounds, we will also become a stronger team. Changing the visual appearance of the Silver Arrows underlines and cements our commitment to this change. It’s also a reminder to ourselves that we, individually and as a team, can and must do better.
5) What concrete steps forward will you, as a team, and F1 be making?
We recognise that we have a long way to go when it comes to diversity. We are currently working on a Diversity and Inclusion programme, which we will announce before the end of the season. The programme will focus on analysing our recruitment and development processes, collaborating with our sport’s key stakeholders on new initiatives to improve accessibility, continuing to listen to and raise the awareness of our team members and targeting education initiatives to encourage and support talented people from under-represented backgrounds.We also fully support and stand with F1’s #WeRaceAsOne initiative. F1’s commitment includes setting up a Task Force working to identify employment and education opportunities for under-represented groups across F1, including STEM careers, and required actions to address these findings. F1 will also set up a foundation to help finance internships and apprenticeships in the sport for under-represented groups.