Nelson Piquet has been condemned by Formula 1 after using derogatory racist and homophobic language towards Lewis Hamilton.
The comments were made in 2021 in an interview on a Brazillian podcast, following Hamilton’s win at the British Grand Prix.
The Mercedes driver has since spoken out following the clips of Piquet’s comments resurfacing on social media.
He slated the retired racing driver for his comments and called for changes to the “archaic mindsets” in the sporting world.
Here are Piquet’s comments about Hamilton in full.
What has Nelson Piquet said about Lewis Hamilton?
Racist and homophobic comments that retired racing driver Nelson Picquet had made about Lewis Hamilton have resurfaced on social media.
On June 28, 2022, a clip showed the 69-year-old using racist slurs on a Brazillian podcast. He said: “The n******* put the car in the wrong way and didn't let the other driver swerve.
“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. He did [Verstappen] dirty. His luck was that only the other one was gone."
However, on July 1, 2022, further comments were revealed, which show Piquet using homophobic and racist language.
In the fresh footage, he appears to take a swipe at F1 driver Nico Rosberg and his father Keke.
He is seen saying: “Keke? He was a s***! Zero value.
“His son [Nico] won the championship. The ‘n*******’ was [more focused on] giving a** at that time. He was kinda bad.”
He has since attempted to apologise but denied any racist intent with his comments despite using a racially derogatory term.
In his statement, he said: “I would like to clear up the stories circulating in the media about a comment I made in an interview last year.
“What I said was ill-thought-out, and I make no defence for it, but I will clarify that the term used is one that has widely and historically been used colloquially in Brazilian Portuguese as a synonym for ‘guy’ or ‘person’ and was never intended to offend.”
What has Lewis Hamilton said about Nelson Piquet’s racist comments?
Lewis Hamilton has called for change and action to be taken following Nelson Piquet’s racist comments.
At Silverstone race track on Saturday, July 2, 2022, Hamilton said: “I am incredibly grateful to all those who have been supportive within the sport, particularly the drivers.
“It has been two years since we took the knee in Austria. Of course we are still faced with the challenges.
“I have been on the receiving end on racism and that negative and archaic narratives and undertones of discrimination.
“I am not sure why we are continuing to give these older people a platform.
“They are speaking on the sport but we are looking to go in a different direction. It's the bigger picture.
“It is now a knee-jerk reaction from companies all around the world. They probably all already have a script ready for that crisis management. It is not enough. It's now about action.
“We need more than ever to be bringing people together. It is not helpful the comments we are seeing from these people.
“People who are not relevant in the sport for years are trying to bring me down but I am still here.”
Following the initial resurfacing of Piquet’s racist comments, Hamilton took to Twitter saying: “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.”
