Lewis Hamilton says he was warned against racing in a red helmet to support Colin Kaepernick in 2017

Reigning six-time F1 champion Lewis Hamilton has revealed he was deterred from supporting NFL Colin Kaerpenick’s stance against police brutality and racial injustice in 2017 by someone ‘really high up’ in the United States.

The Mercedes driver says he planned to wear a red helmet during the 2017 US Grand Prix in Austin, Texas to express his backing of NFL quarterback Kaepernick – the colours of his team, the San Francisco 49ers at the time.

However, the Brit has told how he was warned against doing so by a senior figure outside of F1 as there was ‘potential consequences’.

Lewis Hamilton has revealed he was warned against supporting Colin Kaepernick in 2017

Hamilton wanted to wear a red helmet, the colours of then San Francisco 49ers quarterback Kaepernick, in a show of support for the his stance against racial injustice and police brutality

However, Hamilton (pictured in action during the 2017 US Grand Prix) was warned against doing so by someone ‘really quite high up’ in the United States

‘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,’ he said as quoted by the Times on Thursday.

‘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.’

Fast-forward three years and Hamilton and his fellow F1 drivers made a public stance against these issues during the Austrian Grand Prix last weekend.

All 20 drivers did line up on the grid at the Red Bull Ring to take a stance against discrimination. Hamilton was the only one to line up with a Black Lives Matter T-shirt. All other 19 drivers, who support the fight against racism and discrimination, wore a top emblazoned with the message ‘end racism’.

While 14 drivers took to one knee on Sunday, it has been reported by Press Association that some of those could elect to stand for the second race of the season.

Six Formula One stars decided against kneeling as part of the sport’s anti-racism stance last weekend at the Austrian Grand Prix. They were (from left to right): Max Verstappen, Antonio Giovinazzi, Daniil Kvyat, Carlos Sainz, Charles Leclerc and Kimi Raikkonen

Hamilton (right) wore a Black Lives Matter T-shirt on the grid as he knelt alongside the majority of his fellow drivers 

Hamilton himself has admitted he is unsure if he will kneel for the remainder of the season.

‘I don’t know what the plan is moving forward,’ he said. ‘It’s really great that Formula 1, and particular Mercedes, have taken note of the issues we’re facing across the world and deciding to do something about it.

‘I think ultimately everything we do is not going to be enough and we all need to do more. There’s been awareness for a couple of weeks and what we don’t need it to do is die a sudden death, and just disappear and we see no change, so somehow and ultimately I could be the guinea pig there. I will keep speaking out.

‘And going back to it, all of us, myself included, everyone has to look at accountability and see what they can do better within their organisation and their own team. Moving forwards, I don’t know if I’ll continue to [take a knee].’