“I strongly condemn any suggestion word was used by me with aim of belittling a driver because of his skin colour.”
Nelson Piquet Sr. issued a statement Wednesday following backlash from the Formula One community in response to his use of racist language in reference to Lewis Hamilton.
In a November 2021 interview conducted following last season’s British Grand Prix, the 69-year-old used the derogatory term when discussing Hamilton and Max Verstappen’s first-lap wreck. Piquet, who is the father of Verstappen’s partner, Kelly, commented on the Mercedes star’s handling of the car. Piquet said Hamilton “put his car there to hit him on purpose,” later adding “he wanted to take him out no matter the cost.”
According to Sky Sports’ translation of the Portuguese interview, the Brazilian used the term twice during the discussion. The reference translates to “little Black guy,” per The Race and Associated Press.
“What I said was ill thought out, and I make no defence for it, but the term used has widely and historically been used colloquially in Brazilian Portuguese as a synonym for ‘guy’ or ‘person’ and was never intended to offend,” Piquet said, in part. “I would never use the word I have been accused of in some translations. I strongly condemn any suggestion word was used by me with aim of belittling a driver because of his skin colour.
“I apologise wholeheartedly to anyone that was affected, including Lewis, who is an incredible driver, but the translation in some media that is now circulating on social media is not correct. Discrimination has no place in F1 or society and I am happy to clarify my thoughts in that respect.”
According to BBC Sport, sources said that the three-time world champion will not be allowed back in the paddock. Formula One, the FIA and Mercedes all condemned the racist language used by Piquet but did not name him in their respective statements. Several drivers and multiple teams publicly spoke out in support of Hamilton on Tuesday.
George Russell was one of the first to speak out in support of his Mercedes teammate, tweeting, “Huge respect to LH. He has done more for the sport than any driver in history, not just on track but off it. The fact that he and so many others are STILL having to deal with this behaviour is unacceptable. We all need to stand together against discrimination of any kind.”
Hamilton addressed the comments on Twitter, saying in one tweet, “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.”