Nelson Piquet He was Formula 1 champion on 3 occasions, but Lately there is more talk about his controversies than about his legacy. The Brazilian expilot released some racist comments against Lewis Hamilton and he has already been fined almost a million dollars.
The sanction does not come through the FIA, Formula 1 or any other body related to motorsport. It is well known that Hamilton is very loved in Brazil, so the case went to court from this country.
Several groups fighting for human rights sued Nelson Piquet and Judge Pedro Matos de Arruda ordered a fine of 5 million reais, according to ESPN. This converts to more than 17.5 million Mexican pesos and more than 950 thousand dollars.
According to the judge, Nelson Piquet not only affected “the individual rights of the victim (Hamilton). But the values of the entire community, particularly the black population and the LGBTQ+ community“.
And for the fine to have a value beyond economics, the money will go to funds for the promotion of racial equality. In addition, the fight against discrimination against the LGBTQ+ community will continue.
What did Nelson Piquet say and how did Hamilton respond?
In June 2022, Nelson Piquet gave an interview in which he used the term ‘black’ at least twice to refer to Lewis Hamilton. The outrage grew rapidly, since Formula 1 usually condemns these acts and the former driver is very close to the category, even as Max Verstappen’s father-in-law.
At the time the statements were released, Lewis Hamilton himself expressed his position. The British pilot assured that it is not only about the language we use, but about the importance of changing this type of mentality.
Nevertheless, Hamilton chose to give a strong message beyond the friendly. “just imagine“, he responded to a fan’s tweet suggesting he post “who the hell is nelson piquet” to then close his Twitter.
