Lewis Hamilton and Sebastian Vettel say they will continue to speak out on issues despite opposition from FIA president Mohammed Ben Sulayem.
The boss of Formula 1's governing body suggested last week that drivers should not impose their opinions on others.
Hamilton said it was important the sport continues to be a platform "to spark more conversations".
Vettel said diversity and environmental matters were "bigger than us, bigger than the sport can ever be".
Ben Sulauyem said in an interview with GrandPrix247: "Vettel drives a rainbow bicycle, Lewis is passionate about human rights and [Lando] Norris addresses mental health.
"Everybody has the right to think. To me, it is about deciding whether we should impose our beliefs in something over the sport all the time.