Formula One team Mercedes will be switching the colours of Lewis Hamilton and Valtteri Bottas's cars to black as they make a stand against racism and discrimination and pledge to improve the diversity of their team.
"For 2020, we have chosen to race in an all-black base livery as a public pledge to improve the diversity of our team - and a clear statement that we stand against racism and all forms of discrimination. The call to 'End Racism' will feature on the halo of both cars, and the united F1 initiative #WeRaceAsOne will be featured on the mirrors of the W11," the F1 racing team said in a statement.
Famously known as the Silver Arrows, Mercedes will return to racing this weekend in Austria.
"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," Toto Wolff, Team Principal and CEO of the Mercedes-AMG Petronas F1 Team said.
The announcement comes amid global protests around the world in support of Black Lives Matter, a campaign which Hamilton - the first black superstar in F1 history - has vocally supported.
Hamilton has since announced the setting up of a new commission to improve diversity in motorsport, while Formula 1 has launched the #WeRaceAsOne initiative, along with a new Task Force specifically focused at identifying the employment and education opportunities for under-represented groups across Formula 1.
( With inputs from ANI )