Nelson Piquet, a retired Formula One icon, apologized “to everybody that was harmed” after using the N-word in an interview to describe Sir Lewis Hamilton.
It happened at the same time when the Brazilian racing legend received a lot of criticism from F1 fans for using the racial epithet.
He declared in a statement: “What I said was poorly thought out, and I offer no defense.”
Outraged Formula One fans criticized Max Verstappen for remaining silent when Piquet’s daughter used the N-word to disparage Sir Lewis Hamilton in an interview.
On a podcast with the Brazilian website Motorsport Talks in November of last year, Piquet referred to the seven-time world champion as “neguinho,” a derogatory term in Portuguese. However, the news broke in Britain yesterday.
He continued, “I strongly condemn any notion that the word was used by me with the intention of demeaning a driver because of his skin color.” He then gave an explanation for his conduct.
‘I really apologize to everyone who was impacted, especially Lewis, who is a terrific driver, but the translation in the media that is currently doing the rounds on social media is incorrect.
I’m pleased to make my position on discrimination clear: “Discrimination has no place in F1 or society.”
The 69-year-old, who won the world championship in 1981, 1983, and 1987, was talking about the crash that occurred between Lewis Hamilton and Max Verstappen during the opening lap of the British Grand Prix last year.
Piquet captured the conversation on camera in Portuguese, and in March he posted the video to YouTube. Prior to the crash’s first anniversary on Tuesday, it gained popularity on social media. After that, it was translated into English.
The former driver claimed Hamilton intentionally pushed Verstappen off the track to end his race. Verstappen is dating the former driver’s daughter Kelly Piquet, 33.
The other driver wasn’t allowed to swerve, he claimed, and the neguinho put the car in the wrong direction.
What if Lewis Hamilton had simply tweeted, “Who the f*** is Nelson Piquet?” in response?,” Hamilton fired back, putting “Imagine” next to the offending remark.
The 37-year-old continued, “It goes beyond words.”
These outdated viewpoints must be changed because they have no place in our sport.
My entire life, these attitudes and targets have been all around me.
There has been ample opportunity for learning. The moment for action has come.
Additionally, he published a statement in Piquet’s home tongue of Portuguese with the words “let’s focus on altering the mindset.”
Since then, Formula One supporters have flooded Hamilton’s social media with messages of encouragement, but other fans are outraged at Red Bull, Verstappen, and Team Principal Christian Horner for their “deafening silence.”
“Max Verstappen is really silent on here today,” wrote Joey M. We can tell what kind a person he is from his silence.
It comes after Piquet, a former world champion, was told that failing to publicly apologize to Hamilton for the remarks could result in a suspension from Formula One.
‘Very silent from the world champion who will be leading the brand moving forward,’ commented another admirer on Twitter. He is obviously fine with racism in sports.
Additionally, Will Pawson tweeted, “Max Verstappen’s silence is deafening.”
On social media, Piquet’s supporters contended that his interview had been misconstrued and that the word was a widely-used slang term.
Meanwhile, Hamilton has received backing from F1 champions Charles Leclerc, Esteban Ocon, and Zhou Guanyu who have commended his “values” both on and off the track.
Lewis has always treated me and everyone he encounters with the utmost respect, according to Leclerc, who wrote: “Knowing Lewis since I came in Formula One. These principles ought to be applied to everyone in the world.
“The remarks directed at Lewis should not be accepted, and we should keep advocating for a more inclusive and varied sport.” We must eradicate all forms of racism and discriminatory behavior from society as large, not just from our sport.
A statement denouncing racism was also released by Esteban Ocon, who also praised Hamilton for being “always genuine and courteous with everyone around him.”
“All forms of racist or discriminatory rhetoric have no place in our society or in our sport,” it is said. It’s enough already.
Lewis and I have worked and spent time together over the years, so I am familiar with his personality.
Always sincere and polite to those around him. We are honored to have him at the vanguard of our battle for increased diversity and inclusion in motorsport because he has contributed so much to F1, both on and off the track.
I support Lewis in his ongoing efforts to improve everyone’s access to the sport we all like.
Guanyu continued, “I stand against any type of racism, bigotry, and prejudice with Lewis and the motorsport community.”
Hamilton has previously disagreed with former F1 boss Bernie Ecclestone, who last year claimed Hamilton was “being used” by the Black Lives Matter movement and that Formula One “was not racist.”
This is not the first time Hamilton has spoken out against racial abuse.
Piquet previously labeled Roseanne Mansell and Nigel Mansell “ugly” and “uneducated blockheads,” respectively.
The former Brazilian champion was criticized by Formula One officials for the remarks he made in an interview, but they did not identify him.
In a statement, they declared that racist or discriminatory language is never acceptable and has no place in society.
Lewis is a fantastic representative of our sport and deserving of respect.
His relentless efforts to promote diversity and inclusiveness are an inspiration to many, and F1 is committed to continuing them.
George Russell, another member of Hamilton’s team, reacted angrily to the remarks by saying, “Huge respect to Lewis Hamilton.”
“He has contributed more to the sport than any driver in history, both on and off the track.”
It is outrageous that he and so many other people are still having to cope with this behavior. We must all unite to oppose all forms of bigotry.
Piquet used the racial epithet when opining that Hamilton erred by colliding with the Dutch driver and putting a stop to his race.
Despite receiving a ten-second time penalty for the incident, the Mercedes driver went on to win the race and reduce Verstappen’s point lead.
Verstappen was transported to a local hospital for precautionary examinations after being thrown into the barriers by the side of the track with a force of 52G.
The 24-year-old Red Bull driver’s first lap came to an abrupt end when he ran with his championship opponent at Silverstone’s infamous Copse circuit.
The furious altercation between the two championship rivals as they competed for last year’s world crown one year ago this weekend at the British Grand Prix.
In the sport where he has developed a reputation for being hot-headed on and off the track, the Dutchman defeated Hamilton to win his maiden world championship last season.
He was overheard complaining about the late safety car that Nicholas Latifi brought out during the last race of the F1 season last year.
Before race director Michael Masi dramatically overturned his decision to allow only the lapped cars to overtake, he expressed his frustration over the team radio, saying: Yeah, of course, typical decision.
This left a one-lap head-to-head battle between the title contenders.
After the Brazilian Grand Prix in 2018, Verstappen was also seen on camera pushing Esteban Ocon after the French driver unsuccessfully attempted to unlap himself.
Prior to the incident, he was in a comfortable position to win the race, and he was overheard yelling, “I hope I can’t find him now in the paddock because that guy has a f***ing problem.”
Verstappen expressed his displeasure with his team after struggling to pass Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc in the opening race of this season.
He yelled at his team for telling him to be gentle with his tyres after failing to free the Monegasque driver for a second time, saying “I am never, ever doing that again!”
Verstappen won his first world title on the final lap of the 2021 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix, which marked the controversial conclusion of the championship campaign.
Mercedes responded in a statement: “We reject in the strictest terms the use of any form of racist or discriminatory language.
Lewis has led the anti-racism initiatives in our sport, and he truly champions diversity both on and off the track.
Together, we have a goal of creating a diverse and welcoming motorsport, and this incident highlights how crucial it is to keep working toward a better future.
In order to “take a statement against racism and prejudice in all its forms and a public commitment to further improve the diversity of our team and our sport,” Mercedes has competed in black for the previous two seasons.