In order to increase Ethnic diversity On Formula 1, a Mercedes On Friday (30) I announced a partnership with the British organization AFBE-UK (Black and Ethnic Minority Engineers Association). The initiative is part of the “Accelerate 45” project, launched in 2020, which aims to increase the percentage of blacks and ethnic minorities, which currently stands at only 3%, to at least 25% in the German team.
“As part of our commitment to improving diversity in our team and our sport, we are looking for organizations that can provide us with valuable knowledge and support. The vast experience of AFBE-UK is a perfect match as we seek to expand our appeal and increase diversity,” said Paul Mills, Director of Human Resources at Mercedes.
We are really excited to announce a new partnership with the Association of Ethnic and Black Engineers in the UK! 👊Embed a Tweet It works to inspire people of black and minority ethnicity to study engineering and increase diversity within the UK engineering workforce
– Team Mercedes-AMG PETRONAS F1 (@ MercedesAMGF1) April 29, 2021
AFBE-UK is an institution established in 2007 and has since worked to increase the participation of black and ethnic students in the science and technology fields, in addition to supporting over 1,500 engineers in the UK.
“We are excited to see that Mercedes is committed to creating a team that reflects the world we live in. The elite brand that dedicates time and resources to this goal is a huge leap in engineering. Boys and girls of all backgrounds can now dare to dream of being part of the sport they have grown up fans of. Mara Tavadzo Makoni, renowned engineer, founder of the organization.
A reference in anti-racism and the only black on the current network, British Lewis Hamilton is a great catalyst for initiatives in favor of diversity in Mercedes and F1. In 2020, the seven-time champ took a step forward in the fight for racial equality and now remains the main active voice of the movement in this category.
By the way, AFBE-UK members were already part of the Hamilton Commission, which was formed last year to identify barriers for people who struggle with racism in motorsport. Also in 2020, the Briton was the sponsor of the “We Are Racing Like One” (“We Are Racing Like One”, in Portuguese), which was created by Formula 1.
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