LEWIS HAMILTON revealed he was urged not to honour Colin Kaepernick at the 2017 Grand Prix by someone “high up” in the United States.
The British star, 35, had planned to wear a red helmet in support of the former San Francisco 49ers quarterback.
Lewis Hamilton has showed his support for the Black Lives Matter movementCredit: AFP – Getty
Kaepernick protested against racial injustice and police brutality across the country.
But Hamilton claimed he was warned of “potential consequences” if he got involved.
He said: “I was advised from outside, from someone in the States who was really quite high up, that it wasn’t the time for me to be doing so.
“And there were potential consequences of me doing it, so that’s why they advised me not to do it.
“I do still have that helmet that I had done for Colin.
“I did speak to Colin, who was super supportive for me to have taken the knee.
“I’m grateful I was able to do it last weekend and continue the great movement he initially started.”
Hamilton took a knee and wore a Black Lives Matter t-shirt ahead of the Austrian GP.
He was joined by 14 others, but six drivers on the grid remained standing.
But the world champion is unsure if he will take a knee for the rest of the season.
Hamilton added: “This weekend I don’t believe we have that position ahead of the national anthem.
“It’s not my goal to take a knee during the national anthem.
“It was really encouraging to see at least one of the teams [not just the drivers] taking the knee.
“I think it was one of the Red Bull cars, which was great.
“If we have time, maybe there’s something my team and I could do.”
Lewis Hamilton is best pals with his British vegan bulldog Roscoe
Source: Motorsport - thesun.co.uk
