Lewis Hamilton confirms he won’t be pushing for a ‘Black Ferrari’ anytime soon

Star Mercedes driver Lewis Hamilton, who is set to join forces with Ferrari next season, recently addressed the prospect of the Italian team adopting a black livery with his arrival at Maranello.

Hamilton has actively campaigned against prejudices faced by people of color and has been a vocal advocate for increased diversity in motorsport. Mercedes has supported his campaigns on and off the track, adopting a black livery in 2020, to spread a message against racism. The Silver Arrows reverted to a silver livery in 2022 and currently features both silver and black colors on the W15.

During the Canadian GP, Lewis Hamilton was asked if he would request a black livery from Ferrari chairman John Elkann, instead of the traditional red color. Hamilton mentioned that he hasn't driven a black car in a while, but added that he wouldn't push for it early in his tenure.

"I haven’t driven a black car for a while, so I probably won’t be pushing for that too early on, but no." he said in a press conference. (via F1).

The 39-year-old Brit mentioned that he has already spoken with the Ferrari chairman about a possible collaboration with Mission 44. He is looking forward to making an impact off the track with his new team.

"We’ve definitely spoken about impact work and John and the team have a lot of philanthropy work that they do, so we’ll be working very closely with Mission 44 and with the impact stuff that they’re doing."

"I think within the sport, we have to continue to do more, but more outside we’ll be doing quite a bit together, so that’s really exciting."

Mission 44 is a charitable foundation created by Hamilton in 2021, and aims to "build a fairer and inclusive future for young people around the world."

---

Lewis Hamilton elaborates on how his shock move to Ferrari came together

The seven-time world champion announced his bombshell move from Mercedes to Ferrari earlier this season, which shook up the driver market. He recently elaborated on how the deal came through and cited Fred Vasseur and John Elkann as the key figures involved in the negotiations.

Hamilton has known Vasseur for a long time, having won the GP2 championship with ART Grand Prix, a team founded by the Ferrari team principal. He recently disclosed that Vasseur played an important role in the negotiations.

"Yes. Yeah, he [Vasseur] is the boss and really a huge amount of support from John Elkann, who I've got a great relationship with. And so with those two together, Fred and John, we worked really closely." he said in the press conference.

Lewis Hamilton will be reunited with Fred Vasseur next season, joining forces with teammate Charles Leclerc. The dream driver lineup has increased the anticipation for the 2025 season.