EA racist blunder by three-time world champion Nelson Piquet towards superstar Lewis Hamilton caused a stir in Formula 1. In a statement on Tuesday, the racing series therefore condemned discriminatory language as “unacceptable in any form”.
Hamilton was “an incredible ambassador for our sport and deserves respect,” it said. Previously, older statements by the Brazilian Piquet (69) had surfaced, in which he had denigrated Hamilton in an interview, using the N-word.
FIA condemns racism
Piquet’s statements were made last November, but were only publicly addressed in the run-up to Hamilton’s home race at Silverstone next Sunday. In a podcast, Piquet evaluated the accident between the Mercedes driver and Red Bull driver Max Verstappen at the Silverstone race a year ago.
According to Piquet, a mistake by Hamilton was the reason for the crash. The previously leading Verstappen was eliminated because of the accident, Hamilton won the Grand Prix despite a time penalty. Piquet is the father of Verstappen’s partner.
Hamilton responded via Twitter at noon. “Let’s focus on changing the mindset,” wrote the record world champion, initially in Portuguese, Piquet’s native language.
It’s not just about racist language, he then added: “These outdated ways of thinking have to change and have no place in our sport.” He was surrounded by attitudes like this all his life, he was a target: “There was a lot of to learn. Now is the time to act.”
The world association FIA and the Mercedes racing team also condemned the statements. “We condemn any use of racist and discriminatory language of any kind,” the team said. Hamilton, 37, is leading the sport’s fight against racism and is a “true champion of diversity on and off the track”.
The FIA also emphasized its solidarity with the seven-time world champion and condemned racism. A year after the controversial Silverstone incident, Formula 1 returns to the UK for the tenth round of the season at the weekend.
