Toto Wolff: “Black car was Lewis Hamilton’s idea”

Lewis Hamilton was the one who brought in Mercedes to blacken the livery of his W11 before the start of the Formula 1 season. While some just welcome the visual appeal of the new colors, it’s actually a statement of support for the political movement Black Lives Matter.

Direct support within Mercedes

His team boss Toto Wolff said to Kurier newspaper about this: “Lewis is very active in Black Lives Matter. We coordinated what we can do on the subject. Hamilton called me about a month ago and said ‘two Instagram posts is not enough’ “Together we brought the idea of ​​the black car to life. The Daimler board and sponsors immediately gave their support.”

He denies that it is just an empty symbolic gesture, emphasizing: “The right beliefs are not enough if we remain silent. We therefore want to use our voice and our platform to campaign for respect and equality.”

More women and minorities

Wolff admitted that women and minorities are grossly underrepresented in the German team and promised to do something about it. “We will not set quotas, but we will set goals.”

McLaren’s Lando Norris, meanwhile, revealed that the drivers are considering ‘making a knee’ to honor the Black Lives Matter movement in Austria.

“It will be discussed in the Grand Prix Drivers Association after the drivers’ briefing on Friday. We will do everything we can to show that we care and respect everyone,” said Norris.