Further racist and homophobic comments aimed at Lewis Hamilton have been attributed to former three-time Formula One champion Nelson Piquet. The Brazilian had caused a storm on Monday when video evidence came out disclosing him using a racist slur against the Brit. He was later condemned by F1, FIA, several drivers, and other big names in the paddock.
The video footage is from November last year when Piquet was speaking during a long interaction on the Brazilian show ‘Motorsports Talk.’ The Brazilian website Grande Premio, however, has accessed a full copy of all that was said during the podcast. The website has claimed that while talking about his 1982 championship battle with Keke Rosberg, Piquet used the slur again, and introduced additional homophobic remarks about Hamilton and Rosberg’s son Nico, who was Hamilton’s partner at Mercedes between 2013 and 2016.
After Nelson Piquet’s racial slur against Hamilton had come to light on Monday, the seven-time champion gave a reaction on social media. “What if Lewis Hamilton just tweeted ‘Who the f*** is Nelson Piquet?’ then closed Twitter,” wrote a fan on Twitter to which Hamilton ‘retweeted’ and added: “Imagine..”
Imagine https://t.co/jzRsAI2uuA
— Lewis Hamilton (@LewisHamilton) June 28, 2022
The 37-year-old’s comments came after F1 and FIA condemned the racist language by Piquet. The only Black driver in F1, Hamilton has campaigned tirelessly to fight racism and has been outspoken on human rights abuses in countries where F1 goes racing.
It’s more than language. These archaic mindsets need to change and have no place in our sport. I’ve been surrounded by these attitudes and targeted my whole life. There has been plenty of time to learn. Time has come for action.
— Lewis Hamilton (@LewisHamilton) June 28, 2022
After an uninspired start to the season, the Brit will now be shifting his focus onto the British Grand Prix at Silverstone. But the controversy has started a dialogue on racism and discrimination in the paddock, and prompted the Brit to speak up on how grateful he was to receive support from his colleagues.
“I felt for the first time that I didn’t stand alone in the sport. For all the other years I’ve been racing, no one would have ever said anything. When it happened before no one said anything. So it was really amazing to see the steps that have been taken.
“There’s no room for that sort of abuse but if I have to be on the receiving end of that in this industry for people to become aware, then that’s part of my journey,” he said ahead of the British GP.
