Hamilton said that it’s time for the “archaic mindset” to change. Source: Wikimedia Commons.
An interview has resurfaced from 2021 which shows former F1 champion Nelson Piquet describe Lewis Hamilton using an unfavourable phrase.
In November, the 69-year-old was discussing a crash between Hamilton and Max Verstappen in which he called Hamilton a “neguinho” – meaning “little black guy” in Brazilian Portuguese.
“The n—– put the car in the wrong way and didn’t let [Verstappen swerve],” Piquet said.
“The n—– put the car in the wrong way on the corner, it’s because you don’t know the curve. It’s a very high curve, there is no way to pass two cars and there’s no way you can put the car aside.”
The interview from the Enerto podcast has only recently surfaced but has been strongly condemned by the F1 community.
Federation International de l’Automobile (FIA), governing body of F1 tweeted about the issue, saying comments like those of Piquet “have no place in sport or the wider society”.
“The FIA strongly condemns any racist or discriminatory language and behaviour.
“We express solidarity with @LewisHamilton and fully support his commitment to equality, diversity and inclusion in motor sport.”
Mercedes F1 team also joined in on the denunciation saying they too would not tolerate those sort of actions.
“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.”
Lewis Hamilton also took to Twitter to address the issue, first tweeting “Vamos focar em mudar a mentalidade” which translates to “Let’s focus on changing the mindset”.
Following that he said, “Time has come for action”.
“It’s more than language. These archaic mindsets need to change and have no place in our sport. I’ve been surrounded by these attitude and targeted my whole life. There has been plenty of time to learn.”
Piquet has yet to comment.
