Piquet has to pay a heavy fine

Former Formula 1 world champion Nelson Piquet has been fined in Brazil for making racist remarks about Lewis Hamilton. The money is intended for a good cause.

Dhe former Formula 1 world champion Nelson Piquet (70) has to dig deep into his pocket for his racist and homophobic derailments. A court in his native Brazil sentenced him on Friday to pay five million Brazilian reals (almost 900,000 euros). The money should benefit the fight against racism and equality for the LGBTQ+ community and be distributed to appropriate funds.

In an interview from November 2021, Piquet racially insulted Formula 1 record world champion Lewis Hamilton. He later apologized, but also tried to justify his choice of words. Later, a passage from the interview in which Piquet denigrated Hamilton in a homophobic context was made public.

Formula 1 then declared Piquet persona non grata, and four human rights groups also filed a complaint. The Brazilian has caused “moral damage” to black people and members of the LGBTQ+ community. The judge in charge saw it that way.

The statements are “intolerable. Especially when they come from such a famous and admired person.” Piquet’s offense is directed against “the basic values ​​of society”. It is now “fair” that by paying the fine he is helping his country to take action against discrimination.