Nelson Piquet, a revered name in F1, has come under fire for his bigoted statements against Lewis Hamilton. In an interview from 2021, the Brazilian racing legend reflected on the infamous feud between Max Verstappen, who is also dating Piquet’s daughter, and Hamilton. However, Piquet’s words soon turned into an onslaught of insults, culminating in defamatory language aimed at the 7-time champion.
This was met with widespread condemnation, as the video went viral during the early months of the 2022 season. Teams and drivers, people within and outside the F1 community, all spoke out against the racist remarks made against their star driver. Lewis himself has had his say, stating that “the time has come for action.”
Brazilian mega-star stands up for Lewis Hamilton
Lewis Hamilton has been a significant part of the Brazilian community and has even been given honorary citizenship. Thus, his countrymen stood up for him and demanded that Piquet be penalized for his words against the driver.
Imagine https://t.co/jzRsAI2uuA
— Lewis Hamilton (@LewisHamilton) June 28, 2022
Now, Piquet faces the consequences of his actions after a lengthy court case. Apart from the monetary compensation of BRL 10 million, the court has ordered Piquet to issue an official apology on all social media platforms; acknowledging his mistakes in making racist insinuations toward anyone and renouncing any racist or homophobic comments.
In a post made by the website Mundo Negro on Instagram, Brazilian rapper Mano Brown summarized his take on the situation with just two words for Piquet. Boasting over 6 million followers, the rapper commented: “F*ck off.”
Nelson Piquet-Hamilton video, not one-off
In the heat of the first video going viral, another video depicting Piquet’s archaic mindset soon came to the surface as well. While the first instance was a breakdown of Hamilton v Verstappen, the second video once again saw Hamilton being disparaged for his rivalry against Nico Rosberg.
First, he was asked about his rivalry with Keke Rosberg. After labeling his opponent as “sh*t,” the conversation shifts to Keke’s son, Nico. In context to Rosberg’s battles with Hamilton in 2016, it is Hamilton who gets the flak.
When do we start acting? What more needs to be said about Lewis Hamilton for people to realise how abhorrent this is? When do we start “Racing as One” ? Enough is enough!
pic.twitter.com/qSB07tt2MS— deni (@fiagirly) July 1, 2022
Once again, using a racial slur against Hamilton, he also makes homophobic comments against the driver, commenting that he was too busy “giving ass.“
In the aftermath of his reprehensible behavior, the three-time champion has been barred from the paddock and is now confronting the repercussions of his actions. Meanwhile, Lewis Hamilton remains at the forefront of the fight for racial equality and justice in Formula 1. Perhaps, with unwavering determination and perseverance, there will come a time when this struggle will finally end.
