London, Jul 28 (IANS): Formula One world champion Lewis Hamilton has been forced to clarify that he is "not against a vaccine" for COVID-19, after inadvertently sharing an anti-vaxxer post on one of his social media handles.

Hamilton recently shared a post on Instagram which suggested Bill Gates was lying about a coronavirus vaccine. In the video clip shared by Hamilton, Gates is questioned about the possible side-effects of a vaccine and he offers reassurance while refuting a conspiracy theory that the vaccine will be used to implant microchips in people.

The clip was captioned "I remember when I told my first lie", reports The Guardian.

The post, however, attracted criticism online following which the Formula One driver deleted it.

Hamilton has now said he wanted to 'clarify (his) thoughts' on the matter.

"I've noticed some comments on my earlier post around the coronavirus vaccine, and want to clarify my thoughts on it, as I understand why they might have been misinterpreted," the British Mercedes driver wrote in a subsequent post on Instagram.

"Firstly, I hadn't actually seen the comment attached so that is totally my fault and I have a lot of respect for the charity work Bill Gates does. I also want to be clear that I'm not against a vaccine and no doubt it will be important in the fight against coronavirus, and I'm hopeful for its development to help save lives."