Lewis Hamilton has slammed Bernie Ecclestone as "ignorant and uneducated".
The 35-year-old Formula One driver blasted the former F1 boss after he said "black people are more racist than white people".
Lewis wrote on Instagram: "So sad and disappointing to read these comments.
"Bernie is out of the sport and a different generation but this is exactly what is wrong – ignorant and uneducated comments which show us how far we as a society need to go before real equality can happen.
"It makes complete sense to me now that nothing was said or done to make our sport more diverse or to address the racial abuse I received throughout my career.
"If someone who has run the sport for decades has such a lack of understanding of the deep rooted issues we as black people deal with every day, how can we expect all the people who work under him to understand? It starts at the top.
"Now the time has come for a change. I will not stop pushing to create an inclusive future for our sport with equal opportunity for all. To create a world that provides equal opportunity for minorities.
"I will continue to use my voice to represent those that don’t have one, and to speak for those who are underrepresented to provide an opportunity to have a chance in our sport."
Lewis’ comments came after Bernie, 89 – who stepped down as chief executive in 2017 – said he was surprised to hear Lewis complain about racism in the sport.
He said: "In lots of cases black people are more racist than what white people are.
"(It’s just) things over the years that I’ve noticed, and there’s no need for it. I’m against injustice for anyone. It’s important to do something about that for a start.
"The number of people that are directly involved in the sport are such a small number they can do very little – I’m surprised if anyone in Formula One, certainly the teams and the promoters, have any concern about this."