Formula 1 and Mercedes have condemned racist language used by Nelson Piquet in reference to his fellow world champion Lewis Hamilton.
Piquet made the comment in an interview late last year while discussing the collision between Hamilton and Max Verstappen at last year’s British Grand Prix. He used a racially offensive Portuguese expression in reference to the seven-times champion.
While the comments were widely overlooked at the time, they resurfaced on social media last week. F1 strongly criticised Piquet’s choice of words.
“Discriminatory or racist language is unacceptable in any form and has no part in society,” it said in response to an enquiry from RaceFans.
“Lewis is an incredible ambassador for our sport and deserves respect. [Hamilton’s] tireless efforts to increase diversity and inclusion are a lesson to many and something we are committed to at F1.”
Hamilton’s Mercedes team also pointed to the driver’s efforts to promote diversity within motorsport through the Hamilton Commission which he launched in 2020.
“We condemn in the strongest terms any use of racist or discriminatory language of any kind,” said a team spokesperson when asked by RaceFans.
“Lewis has spearheaded our sport’s efforts to combat racism, and he is a true champion of diversity on and off track. Together, we share a vision for a diverse and inclusive motorsport, and this incident underlines the fundamental importance of continuing to strive for a brighter future.”
Piquet won the world championship with Brabham in 1981 and 1983, and again with Williams in 1987. One of his sons, Nelson Piquet Jnr, finished runner-up to Hamilton in the 2006 GP2 (now Formula 2) championship.
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