[am1m]

This is exactly what a company pays an ad agency/PR firm for- publicity! Whether this sort of thing is really helpful to the anti-racism movement is questionable (IMHO it is not, and this is merely a form of virtue signalling being used for brand promotion).

But what is beyond question is that people (like we are on this thread!) will be talking about it, tweeting about it, sharing it, etc etc...publicity for the brand, with the inevitable social media multipliers, and most of it will be positive.

[Sutripta]

A more cynical, but I suspect more accurate view would be that it is preemptive action to prevent sponsors talking with their chequebooks.

Sutripta

[Hatari]

This is a fantastic initiative. I have not seen an F1 team stand by their driver and back what he believes in, as much as Mercedes have done.

[mayankk]

Originally Posted by howler

I’m surprised at peoples reactions to this marketing gimmick. But then that’s exactly what Mercedes was betting on. Companies like Mercedes and BMW have extremely shady pasts so I would always take such gestures with a massive dollop of salt. As a car enthusiast, I would just judge a car company for their cars and absolutely nothing else

Please. Not that old chestnut. Maybe Hitler didn't die, and was whisked away to the basement in the factory and died painting car bodies? Finally getting to paint?
They have a past, and every German, non Jewish owned business of the time which functioned in the time shares that same past. This is akin to holding the entire current population of Germany responsible for the history.
Mercedes has the only black driver in the f1 lineup, and had they not stepped up for the BLM movement, THAT would have been worthy of finger pointing. I'm glad for what they've done, and the awesomeness of the livery is incidental, but still welcome.

[libranof1987]

As this thread itself highlights, social media has put public personalities/ companies in quite a spot with respect to their reaction/ response to everything. Had Mercedes not made any statement (through action or words), there could very well have been backlash against them for not standing up or participating in the movement, especially given that their lead driver himself is a person of color.

Agree that companies have started becoming unnecessarily politically correct / neutral in what they say, what they do and how they are so as to avoid any semblance of inequality. Mob behavior has gotten very volatile and very unpredictable so companies need to buffer themselves and their image. Look at that group of people targeting a MG Hector, given the current anti-China rhetoric.

When in doubt, err on the side of abundant caution.

[Durango Dude]

Probably they're trying to erase the memory of "Auschwitz", "The Odessa File" and "Schindlers List" with a "Driving Ms Daisy"

[naveenroy]

Well, given Mercedes Benz' past, they have a long way to go. But a good step nonetheless. But, open statements like this are all well and good but we need change at the basic levels, just slapping a bit of paint on something won't make racism go away.

Originally Posted by srini1785

From what i heard, The loop was used to open a door and was inadvertently left behind by a worker. The problem was compounded by a plane flying overhead with a strong racist message.

Down south, we all know that that was a pointed message - the noose has NO other meaning. NASCAR somehow managed to bypass that huge PR mishap - I still do not know how they managed that. Maybe by pre-empting the ban on the confederate flag before the noose became a big issue. I think that was used as bargaining chip.

I have never been a fan of Lewis but I can start to only imagine the amount of veiled hatred he receives just because of his colour.

[Zed]

There are large sections of civil society that are ill-informed of the extent of discrimination based on ethnicity. Anything that encourages conversations to raise awareness of the problem helps. And while a black Mercedes F1 car will is not the solution to racism, it will certainly trigger conversations on the topic.

[rahulcmoulee]

Mclaren are the next to update their livery i support of F1's #WeRaceAsOne initiative. It features black on the sidepods and the rear wing and rainbow coloured elements on the sidepod. It also features a rainbow on the halo.

https://www.formula1.com/en/latest/a...CIwIAugjW.html

[SaiSW]

Originally Posted by Jeroen

It’s official now; the world has gone mad. Whereas I am very supportive of all persons feeling discriminated against and being at a major disadvantage of nothing else then the colour of their skin, I can’t even begin to understand how painting an F1 car black will help progressing this cause. Which is way to important to get caught up in something as trivial as this.

I agree with you. I am also supportive of such causes but I do not think this is anything more than a social justice PR job. How is painting a car black going to help the cause? What madness.

As if the world already didn't know about all the protests and unrest.

[Storm2.0]

It's ironical to see Merc come out and support this under pressure of PR team. Because there were several videos which went viral showing how protesters vandalised Mercedes showrooms and cars parked inside the showrooms. This would have definitely pinched them a lot.

[Vikki@Hyderabad]

I don't like the way this discussion has progressed (or regressed actually). PR or not, this is definitely making a statement. People should just take it for what it appears to be, and leave the motivations for themselves. If it's bringing about some change, let it. There were similar arguments about the MeToo movement as well -- when are we going to stop arguing about outliers and start talking about the elephant in the room? And please let bygones be bygones; if someone wants to right a wrong in whatever way, they should be appreciated.

In the forums I moderate, this kind of topic always devolves into a discussion of reverse-racism and meritocracy, with steps companies have taken/are taking to promote equality. And to me, this item should have been posted as a news item with comments disabled; there are other public forums for those interested. Let this forum be what it is -- focused on the automotive world.

[Anduril]

Originally Posted by rahulcmoulee

The silver has been replaced with black

On a lighter note, the new livery specially with the blue accent seems straight out of Tron movie.

[puneeth2]

The color scheme looks great but it is clearly just a PR move just to appease a few people who care about such symbolism.

I think it does as much to eradicate racism as the hastags and those black pictures people post to look 'cool'.

It looks like that's what matters now.

[puneeth2]

Originally Posted by Storm2.0

It's ironical to see Merc come out and support this under pressure of PR team. Because there were several videos which went viral showing how protesters vandalised Mercedes showrooms and cars parked inside the showrooms. This would have definitely pinched them a lot.

I think vandalism and anti-racism are totally different issues. Nothing ironical there.