Nelson Piquet ordered to pay £780,000 after racist and homophobic Lewis Hamilton comments
Nelson Piquet has been ordered by court to pay £780,000 after making racist and homophobic comments towards Formula 1 driver, Lewis Hamilton.
Piquet reportedly used the slur back in a 2021 podcast interview when speaking of the seven-time world champion.
The Brazilian triple Formula 1 champion was claimed to have used language during the interview that is said to be equivalent or similar to the N-word against the Mercedes driver.
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All three of Formula 1, Hamilton's Mercedes team and the FIA have publicly condemned Piquet's comments.
In 2022, Formula 1 released a statement, which read: "Discriminatory or racist language is unacceptable in any form and has no part in society.
"Lewis is an incredible ambassador for our sport and deserves respect. His tireless efforts to increase diversity and inclusion are a lesson to many and something we are committed to at F1."
Hamilton's team at Mercedes wrote: "We condemn in the strongest terms any use of racist or discriminatory language of any kind.
"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."
And the FIA said: "The FIA strongly condemns any racist or discriminatory language and behaviour, which have no place in sport or wider society.
"We express our solidarity with Lewis Hamilton and fully support his commitment to equality, diversity and inclusion in motor sport."
Piquet was commenting on Hamilton's British Grand Prix collision on the first lap with Dutch racer, Max Verstappen, whose partner is Piquet's daughter, Kelly.
The 70-year-old has since apologised for the 'ill-thought-out' remark and has said that he's 'made no defence' over them.
He did, however, claim that the term in question 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'.
Piquet continued: "I would never use the word I have been accused of in some translations. I strongly condemn any suggestion that the word was used by me with the aim of belittling a driver because of his skin colour."
In 2022, Hamilton spoke out about Piquet's remarks, 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."
However, it's clear that the Brazilian court disagreed with Piquet's claims after ordering that he pay five million Brazilian reals (£780,000) in 'moral damages' for the comments.
Judge Pedro Matos de Arrudo said: "In the sense that one should not only appreciate the reparative function of civil liability but also (and perhaps mainly) the punitive function so that, as a society, we can someday be free from the pernicious acts that are racism and homophobia."
LADbible has reached out to Formula One for comment.
Topics: Formula 1, Lewis Hamilton, Sport, World News, Cars
Rhiannon Ingle