Lewis Hamilton said he had been moved by a letter from the son of a man facing the death penalty in Bahrain and assured activists on Saturday he would not let rights issues go unnoticed.
Campaigners sent letters to the seven-times Formula One world champion last month before the first of two grands prix in Bahrain.
In them, they urged Hamilton to meet activists, wear a T-shirt with a message of support and discuss matters with the Crown Prince.
Hamilton had said he needed time to digest the content of the letters.
Asked for an update ahead of the season-ending Abu Dhabi Grand Prix, Hamilton said he had hoped to meet Bahrain’s Crown Prince but testing positive for COVID-19 had ruled that out.
“I have of course had more time to read them,” he said of the correspondence.
“Ultimately, it isn’t necessarily my responsibility to speak out on the places that I don’t know everything about but I think we together always have to work to push for change and improvements.
“I think the saddest thing for me was that there is a young man on death row and it’s not clear…when his son writes me a letter, that really hits home. All lives matter. I think there’s definitely work to be done in the background.
“I definitely won’t let it go unnoticed,” he added.
“When I get some time now, I will definitely try and speak to those (people) and see how I can positively impact that weekend as a sport, moving forwards.”
Hamilton has urged Formula One to do more to push for human rights, saying the issue was a “massive problem” in some of the sport’s host countries.
Bahrain’s 2011 race was called off due to civil unrest in the island kingdom and the grand prix, the country’s biggest sporting event, regularly draws criticism from rights campaigners.
The sport is also set to race in neighbouring Saudi Arabia for the first time next year, a move criticised by Amnesty International.
Formula One chairman Chase Carey said before the Bahrain Grand Prix that the sport was a “force for good” in the countries it visits.
More Stories
Smiling Saka Lights Up England Again
Kane On Target Again As England Ease Past Ukraine
South Africa Chase Down Record T20 Target To Beat Windies
Argentina FA Training Facility Renamed After Messi
Rybakina Rallies Past Badosa, Potapova Upsets Gauff In Miami
England’s Kane Tells PM Sunak He Aims To Be Premier League Record Scorer
Wales Snatch Late Goal To Draw With Croatia
Bayern Squad Among Best And Can Challenge For Every Title – Tuchel
Germany Kick Off Euro 2024 Mission With Friendly Win Over Peru
Windies Skipper Smashes His Side To T20 Win Over South Africa
Qatar’s Al Thani Submits New US$6 billion Bid For Manchester United – Report
France Already Firing On All Cylinders As New Chapter Begins