The Brazilian court has reportedly annulled the hefty $997,000 fine they imposed on Nelson Piquet for his racist remarks against Lewis Hamilton. Following the conclusion of the British Grand Prix in 2021, the 71-year-old had slammed the Briton by using a racist slur.
Piquet was annoyed with Hamilton after the 38-year-old had a high-speed collision with Verstappen while entering Copse. Following the conclusion of the race, Piquet referred to the Briton as “neguinho,‘ which roughly translates to a little black man. As soon as his words went viral, he faced massive backlash, with Hamilton himself hitting back with a post.
Imagine https://t.co/jzRsAI2uuA
— Lewis Hamilton (@LewisHamilton) June 28, 2022
In Brazil, this case received a lot of traction ever since Hamilton was made an honorary citizen of the country back in 2022. However, the nullification of the hefty fine may have just gotten the case back to the point where it started.
Brazilian court annuls the fine imposed on Nelson Piquet
A report has recently attempted to explain why the court reversed the fine they imposed on Nelson Piquet. The report, as transcribed by Formula1news.co.uk, states, “Piquet’s argument from the get-go was that his comments towards Hamilton had no racial context or were never intended as racism, as it’s a term informally used in Brazil.”
The court agrees with Piquet as they have now classified the three-time champion’s remarks as “mockery, rather than hate speech.” The report continued, “The court also agreed that the Brazilian’s other homophobic comment which means “giving ass” wasn’t actually homophobic, as it’s also possible in a heterosexual relationship.”
🚨 | Nelson Piquet’s Comments To Lewis Hamilton Is Not ‘Hate Speech’, Says Judge Aiston Henrique de Sousa From The Brazilian Federal Court Of Justice
“There is no demonstration of hate speech,”
“The use of terms from colloquial language, even if riddled with subtle or… pic.twitter.com/hiC7FlZlQo
— el Formula (@elFormulaOne) October 16, 2023
While Hamilton hasn’t commented on the same, human rights activists and lawyers from the country have decided to take matters into their own hands. On one hand, they denounced the decision while also reportedly filing an Appeal with the Apex Court of Brazil, the Hon’ble Supreme Federal Court.
Questions raised about Brazilian GP as the court sides with Piquet
The 2023 Brazilian GP is right around the corner. And given the decision of the judicial system of the nation, a few question marks and interesting narratives are being pushed on about the Grand Prix to be held at Interlagos.
In the build-up to the race, this news incident could blow up in the media and in the paddock. This decision from the court could also impact Hamilton who has often explained the need to take action against those who continue to pass such statements without any consequences.
