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Lewis Hamilton determined the fight against racism does not die a silent death

Lewis Hamilton of Great Britain and Mercedes GP, Pierre Gasly of France and Scuderia AlphaTauri and some of the F1 drivers take a knee on the grid in support of the Black Lives Matter movement ahead of the Formula One Grand Prix of Austria at Red Bull Ring on July 05, 2020 in Spielberg, Austria. - GETTY IMAGES
Lewis Hamilton of Great Britain and Mercedes GP, Pierre Gasly of France and Scuderia AlphaTauri and some of the F1 drivers take a knee on the grid in support of the Black Lives Matter movement ahead of the Formula One Grand Prix of Austria at Red Bull Ring on July 05, 2020 in Spielberg, Austria. - GETTY IMAGES

Lewis Hamilton could continue to "take a knee" at Formula One races saying he does not want the fight against racism to die a silent death.

Hamilton was among the 14 drivers who knelt before the opening grand prix in Austria. Six, including Charles Leclerc and Max Verstappen remained standing. All of them wore ‘End Racism’ t-shirts, however, apart from Hamilton who wore a Black Lives Matter top.

The six-time F1 champion, the sport's only black driver, has been a vocal campaigner against racial injustice in recent weeks following the death of George Floyd in police custody in the US. The 35-year-old spoke about the topic again after he finished fourth on Sunday, revealing he was talked out of taking a knee at the US Grand Prix three years ago.

"There has been awareness on the subject over the last few weeks and we don’t need it to die a silent death and see no change," said Hamilton. "I can be the guinea pig and keep speaking out.

"All of us, myself included, we have to be accountable. This started with NFL player Colin Kaepernick. He sat down for the US national anthem. He sat down and received a backlash. It was suggested to him to take a knee. It was a powerful statement but he lost his job and never got it back.

"I spoke to him before the [2017] US Grand Prix and I had a helmet made in red with his number on the top. But I was silenced and told to back down. I supported that decision which I regret.

"So it was important for me to make sure I played my part this time and, moving forward, whether there is going to be an opportunity to take the knee, I don’t know.

"I don’t want it to be a case of people feeling forced. I want people to be excited to be a part of the change. I want people to think that while they are fortunate not to have experienced racism, they can try to understand what it feels like and that they don’t want people to feel that way and want to be part of change so in the future our kids can lead a better quality of life."

Hamilton later took to social media to reflect further, stating in a lengthy Twitter post: "Today was an important moment for me and all the people out there who are working for and hoping for change....To me it was an emotional and poignant chapter in the progress of making F1 a more diverse and inclusive sport."

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The topic of taking a knee, which is associated with the Black Lives Matter movement, was discussed during a virtual meeting of all 20 F1 drivers on Friday night. Teams had left it up to individual drivers to make up their own minds, while the FIA insisted it was not the job of the sporting federation to instruct the drivers on what is essentially a political decision. It is understood those who remained standing are uneasy about the BLM’s politics.

Both Leclerc and Verstappen posted messages before the grand prix, saying they were committed in the fight against racism. McLaren’s Carlos Sainz, Russian Daniil Kvyat, Alfa Romeo team-mates Kimi Raikkonen and Antonio Giovinazzi also stood up.

On Saturday, Hamilton had implied that division between his fellow drivers over the gesture, which is associated with the Black Lives Matter movement, is further proof of racism in the sport.

"Nobody should be forced into a scenario where they have to kneel," he said on Sunday.

"I never requested or demanded for anyone to take a knee. I never brought it up. It was brought up by F1 and the GPDA [Grand Prix Drivers’ Association]. Sebastian Vettel and Romain Grosjean asked the drivers and there were several who said they wouldn’t do it.

"I am really grateful for those who did it along with me. It is a powerful message but whether you kneel or do not kneel, that is not going to change the world. It is a bigger issue than that."