Brazilian Court Annuls Hefty Fine of $997,000 Imposed on Nelson Piquet for Racism on Lewis Hamilton

Brazilian Court Annuls Hefty Fine of $997,000 Imposed on Nelson Piquet for Racism on Lewis Hamilton

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.

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.”

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.

Post Edited By: Vidit Dhawan
Lewis Hamilton Max Verstappen Nelson Piquet

About the author

Anirban Aly Mandal

Anirban Aly Mandal is an F1 writer at The SportsRush, with over 1000 articles under his belt, Anirban's love for F1 started when he discovered a copy of F1 2014 on his computer. With over half a decade's worth of time spent religiously following the sport, he’s dived deep into the world of motorsports. However, Anirban's expertise goes beyond just writing - he has also written several academic papers focused on the domain of motorsports and the law. His passion for the sport is so immense that he aspires to work as a legal advisor in the most prestigious racing series in the world someday. When it comes to Formula 1, Anirban finds great pleasure in re-watching classic races and idolizes the likes of Ayrton Senna, Nigel Mansell, and Sebastian Vettel. His top picks include Brazil '91, Silverstone '92, and Germany '19. Outside of the sport, Anirban is an avid sim racer, often found racing on titles like Assetto Corsa, F1 22, and Automobilista. Apart from his interests in gaming, Anirban has a keen interest in philosophy, literature and music.

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