It was the news that marked the sports news this Tuesday, it will be one of the news that will mark the sports news of the week and, with all certainty, it will continue to be one of the news that will mark the Formula 1 season. Nelson Piquet, three-time champion of the world, used a racist term to refer to Lewis Hamilton — and the reactions were immediate.
Mercedes, Formula 1 and the FIA did not take long to respond to the words of the former Brazilian driver, issuing official statements condemning the episode. Hamilton, for his part, chose to react in Portuguese, using the language used by Piquet himself, leaving then the idea that “there has been a lot of time to learn” and now “the time has come to act”. But the shock waves, as always, were not limited to those directly involved.
Nelson Piquet used a racist term to talk about Lewis Hamilton. The British pilot replied in… English
Within Formula 1 itself, there were several drivers who sided with Lewis Hamilton. Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc was one of the first, recalling that it is necessary to “banish discriminatory behavior and racist language in any form not only from sport but also from society.” George Russell, Hamilton’s colleague at Mercedes, said he had “great respect” for the Briton. He “he has done more for this sport than any other driver in history, not only on the track but also off it. The fact that he and so many others still have to deal with this type of behavior is unacceptable. We must all unite against any kind of discrimination.” defends the young pilot.
Outside the sport, former England international Gary Lineker also commented on the situation, referring to Nelson Piquet as a “terrible guy”. Away from sports, Paulo Coelho also decided to react to the episode by recalling that, very recently, Lewis Hamilton received the status of honorary citizen of Brazil and took the opportunity to criticize Jair Bolsonaro, whom Piquet supports. “Dear Lewis Hamilton, Piquet is currently the driver of the worst president in our history. His racist comments demonstrate the desperate need to return to the spotlight. I apologize on behalf of the Brazilian people who respect you and love you,” the writer stressed.
George Russell, Hamilton’s teammate at Mercedes, was one of the first drivers to come to the Briton’s defence.
This case with Lewis Hamilton, however, is far from the first controversy involving Nelson Piquet. When he was still a pilot, the Brazilian was criticized for questioning Ayrton Senna’s sexual orientation and even referred to Nigel Mansell’s wife as “ugly”. More recently, he made headlines for his declared support for Jair Bolsonaro, even leading the Brazilian president in the official commemorations of the Brazilian Independence Day last september.
“I became a fan of his. I met him, he invited me to lunch and we hit it off. I have never been involved in politics in my life, but today I am Bolsonaro to death. I think it is the salvation of Brazil”, said Piquet, who is the father of Kelly Piquet, the girlfriend of Max Verstappen, in a recent interview with RedeTV. Now, according to The Guardian, Formula 1 will only allow the former three-time world champion to watch the races when he publicly apologizes to Lewis Hamilton.
Source: Observadora
