Lewis Hamilton has finally got justice after three-time F1 world champion Nelson Piquet has his appeal denied after he was fined a whopping $1,000,000 for racist and homophobic remarks he made in 2021. While the 70-year-old eventually apologized for his remarks, the damage had already been done.
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According to uol.com, the decision was taken by the TJ-DF (Federal District Court of Justice). The TJ-DF decided that Piquet would pay a compensation of $1,000,000. This money would then be used to promote racial equality and discrimination against LGBTQIA+.
What happened between Nelson Piquet and Lewis Hamilton?
Nelson Piquet made headlines all around the world in 2021 after he used a racial slur against Lewis Hamilton. Piquet had said something in Portuguese that translates to “little black guy“.
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The 70-year-old made these remarks following the conclusion of the 2021 British Grand Prix. Piquet believed that Hamilton deliberately collided with his daughter Kelly’s boyfriend, Max Verstappen.
“The little black guy put the car in and didn’t let [the other driver swerve]”, said the Brazilian in an interview on the Motorsport Talk YouTube channel. Despite being targeted with such language, Hamilton did not say much rather than simply condemning it.
The Briton just sent a series of Tweets in which he condemned people with these “archaic mindsets“. However, Hamilton did make it clear that it was now time for “action.” He seemed to have had enough, having been targeted by similar incidents his “whole life“.
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F1, FIA, and other sportspeople come out in support of Hamilton
Following this shocking incident, the sporting world united in support of Lewis Hamilton. Not only did several F1 drivers such as Charles Leclerc and George Russell voice out their concerns, but also others such as the FIA and Naomi Osaka.
Both Leclerc and Russell made it clear that there was no place for “discrimination” in the sport. On similar lines, the FIA also condemned the racist language used and reiterated their “commitment to equality, diversity, and inclusion in motorsport“.
And then there were also celebrities from other sports such as Osaka who came out in support of Hamilton. The Japanese star reiterated a point from Hamilton’s Tweet, where the Briton states that there “has been plenty of time to learn“.