Lewis Hamilton, the British Formula 1 car world champion, said he had discussed with Bahrain officials the human rights situation in the country, and confirmed that Formula 1 could no longer ignore human rights issues in the countries it visited.
The Mercedes driver - who is struggling to win his eighth world championship title, a record when the new season kicks off from Manama next Sunday - revealed his efforts to stand up for himself on the human rights situation in Bahrain.
Hamilton said last December that he was very touched by a letter from the son of a person facing the death penalty.
At that time, he did not succeed in meeting officials after being infected with the Coronavirus and entering self-isolation.
"I was very touched by it. It was the first time I got a message like it. I have tried over the past few months to get to know the situation there. I was not fully aware of the details despite having been in races there for years. I mean human rights issues. I spent time on it. Talking to legal experts in the field of human rights and organizations working in this field, such as Amnesty International, and I met the British ambassador to Bahrain and spoke to officials in Bahrain as well.
Hamilton noted that his movements were secret.
He added, "I do not want to reveal more, as this may jeopardize any progress ... but I am certainly committed to helping in any way possible."
The British driver added, "There are issues all over the world, I don't think we should go to these countries and ignore what is happening in them. We arrive and have a great time and then leave."
The British newspaper (The Guardian) expected that Hamilton's position would increase pressure on Stefano Domenicali, the chief executive of Formula 1, who earlier rejected calls for an investigation in Bahrain, which was raised to him in a joint letter to 61 British lawmakers and a coalition of 24 human rights groups led by the Bahrain Institute for Rights and Democracy.
Rights activists accuse the Bahraini government of using the positive publicity of the country's most famous sporting event to "improve its image" through sport.
However, the government of Bahrain said it follows a "zero-tolerance policy towards ill-treatment of any kind" and has put in place internationally recognized human rights guarantees.
It added in a statement that it had implemented institutional and legal reforms, in addition to forming a committee "to fully and independently investigate any allegation of ill-treatment."