Lewis Hamilton is behind the cause of the protestors who tried to interrupt the British Grand Prix, but pleaded with them to avoid potentially-deadly track invasions.
Northamptonshire Police warned that they had received intelligence in advance that an "extremely dangerous" protest was planned. And that information was proven right, as a small group of people made their way onto the track at the start of the race.
Fortunately, the race had already been red-flagged after a huge crash at the first corner. It meant that by the time the cars reached those who had chosen to sit on the Wellington Straight, they were travelling at low speed.
Asked about those who had been campaigning against the use of oil, Hamilton said: "Big up the protesters. I love that people are fighting for the planet and we need more people like them."
Mercedes were quick to clarify the seven-time world champion's comments, and released a statement after which specified that the Brit did not condone the track invasion. "Lewis was endorsing their right to protest but not the method that they chose, which compromised their safety and that of others," the team said.
And Hamilton gave further clarification in a social media post, pleading with protestors not to make their point in such a dangerous way. "Please don't jump on to our race circuits to protest, we don't want to put you in harm's way," he wrote.
Officers and race marshals were quick to act when the protestors made their way onto the track. They were removed from the dangerous part of the circuit, and Northamptonshire Police later confirmed that seven people had been arrested in connection with the incident.
"I’m really disappointed that this group of people ignored our warnings prior to race-day and made the incredibly dangerous decision to enter the track," said event commander Chief Inspector Tom Thompson. "We offered to facilitate a peaceful event at the circuit.
"They instead chose to put the lives of the drivers, marshals and volunteers at risk. It is incredibly disappointing that anyone would make the decision to do this. Thankfully we had plans in place for an eventuality such as this and the group were swiftly removed and arrested by our officers.
"All seven are currently in custody where their details are being ascertained. Finally, I would like to thank all of the officers and staff, as well as our partners, who have worked tirelessly on this policing operation. Generally we have had very low crime rates, today's incident was dealt with effectively and efficiently, and I could not have asked for more."
