Since the beginning of the 2020 season, following the murder of George Floyd in the United States by police officers, the sport and drivers came together to have a 'We Race As One' initiative, and messages against racism and discrimination.

Lewis Hamilton and a number of other drivers, including four-time World Champion Sebastian Vettel, took a knee during the pre-race ceremony.

While drivers will be allowed to kneel before the race, there will no longer be an official pre-race ceremony ahead of the Grand Prix itself.

In an interview with Sky Sports, F1 boss Stefano Domenicali believes it's now time for action to tackle the problem.

"I think the gesture has been an important gesture because we need to respect everyone, as always.

"But now is the time to move on and take some other action.

"We needed to make sure that what we did was important to show the intention of Formula 1 in things that were really important for the world.

"I think now it's the matter of [changing] gesture, to action. Now the action is the focus on the diversity of our community, and this is the first step," he said while attending a meeting with underrepresented groups in F1 who want to attain Engineering Scholarships. 

The Italian also spoke about the return to social media of Lewis Hamilton.

Hamilton hadn't been seen on social media after the hugely controversial ending to the 2021 season.

Michael Masi's decisions behind the Safety Car ultimately gave Max Verstappen a massive opportunity to overtake the seven-time World Champion and steal the crown on the last lap.

The 37-year old returned to social media on Saturday with the caption: 'I've been gone. Now I'm back!'

I’ve been gone. Now I’m back! pic.twitter.com/Y8i0cgJXZq

— Lewis Hamilton (@LewisHamilton) February 5, 2022

"I saw the last picture was a light of positivity on his face and his gesture," said Domenicali.

"I think that is important because Lewis is an incredible asset not only for our sport but for the world.

"There was a total respect on his choice to be on silent mode.

"I think he will be fully charged for the start of the season."

He added: "Lewis has in front of him a possibility to be an eight-time world champion.

"So I'm sure he is totally focused on these objectives because this year there will be so many new things, so many variables, that will allow this championship to be so attractive.

"I'm sure he is totally dedicated to make sure he has a chance to be the eight-time world champion."