Lewis Hamilton praises the Brazilian Government for hefty fines on Nelson Piquet for racist comments
Lewis Hamilton applauds the Brazilian court for imposing fine on Nelson Piquet for his homophobic and racial remarks
Follow Us
Lewis Hamilton and Nelson Piquet
Lewis Hamilton, the seven-time world champion, has praised the Brazilian government for fining Nelson Piquet, a three-time F1 winner, and Max Verstappen’s girlfriend’s father, for making racist and homophobic remarks against him. Hamilton, who has been a strong advocate for diversity and inclusion in F1, was the focus of Piquet’s derogatory statements in two different videos that surfaced last year.
Hamilton, who was awarded honorary Brazilian citizenship last year, welcomed the decision of the Brazilian court to fine Piquet $953,050 for his behavior. In his own words, “I’d like to acknowledge the Brazil government. I think it’s pretty amazing what they have done in holding someone accountable, showing people that it’s not tolerated.”
Piquet’s offensive remarks were recorded on two separate instances. The first came in a podcast interview, when he used racist and homophobic terms to criticise Lewis Hamilton‘s 2016 title loss to Nico Rosberg. And the other regarding the British Grand Prix, Piquet used a racial term when remarking on Hamilton’s accident with his daughter’s boyfriend, Max Verstappen.
Lewis Hamilton emphasizes importance of taking action against discrimination in response to Nelson Piquet’s fine
The ruling to fine Piquet was the result of charges brought against him by four human rights groups, including Brazil’s National LGBT+ Alliance. In the wake of the videos’ emergence, Hamilton had called for action to be taken against Piquet, saying, “I still believe that we generally shouldn’t be giving people that are just full of hate a platform.”
Hamilton has been a consistent advocate for human rights causes, and he used his platform to condemn a new bill passed in Uganda that leaves citizens who identify as gay at risk of life imprisonment. Hamilton also emphasized the importance of such actions in promoting a more inclusive society: “Racism and homophobia is not acceptable, and there is no place for it within our society.” said the Mercedes driver at the pre-race conference ahead of the Australian Grand Prix.
His comments on Piquet’s fine show his dedication to combating prejudice and fostering a more inclusive society. Notwithstanding Piquet’s offensive remarks regarding Hamilton, Max Verstappen, Piquet’s daughter Kelly’s partner, has yet to respond.
Finally, Lewis Hamilton’s admiration for the Brazilian court’s decision to penalise Nelson Piquet for his racist and homophobic remarks regarding the F1 driver emphasises the significance of taking action against all types of prejudice. Hamilton’s support for human rights movements, as well as his devotion to combating racism and homophobia, making him a role model for people all around the world. Max Verstappen’s lack of reaction to Piquet’s verdict is troubling.
In case you missed it:
McLaren reveals their second major upgrade, ‘a B-spec car’ is in the pipeline
Why FIA banned F1 team personnel’s pitwall fence celebrations?
Stay Updated!
Rohit Bhaskar
(727 Articles Published)