Mercedes-AMG Petronas is planning on becoming the Silver Arrows again. The Formula One team would be going back to silver following two seasons in black.
In 2020, Lewis Hamilton came up with the idea of painting the Silver Arrows in black and switching from silver/white suits to black ones. Both him and former teammate Valtteri Bottas eventually complained about the extra hit that the black tone brings into the cockpit, but stayed with the change. The move was a declaration against racism and for promoting diversity.
Furthermore, the seven-time World Champion promote the Black Lives Matter move, kneeling on the racetrack before the race and asking the other drivers to do the same. Some declined the carry out the gesture. The move was a response to the violent death of 46-year old George Floyd on May 25th, 2020, during protests in Minneapolis.
The Black Arrows instead of the silver ones – a declaration against racism
The F1 season started late due to delays caused by the Covid-19 pandemic. It gave Mercedes the necessary time to make the switch. Meanwhile, Hamilton joined street protests in London and pointed out against the lack of diversity in Formula 1. “In our organization, just 3% of our workforce identify as belonging to minority ethnic groups and only 12% of our employees are women”, Mercedes representatives stated back then. It was the first step towards change.
Now several German and Austrian outlets mention returning to the silver theme for the 2022 season. That comes despite the fact that Mercedes-AMG Petronas teased this year’s car, the W13, with an image of a black livery. But that is supposedly a car photographed in black ahead of it being painted for the winter testing. Besides, it wouldn’t be the first time they change the livery along the way. They did it in 2020, when they launched the car in silver and raced a black one.