Lewis Hamilton has welcomed the R17-million fine imposed on three-time champion Nelson Piquet's racists remarks against him following the 2021 British Grand Prix crash involving Max Verstappen. (Photo by Giuseppe CACACE / AFP)
Seven-time Formula 1 champion Lewis Hamilton, on Thursday, applauded the hefty fine imposed on three-time champion Nelson Piquet for racist remarks about the British driver, saying people “full of hate” should not be tolerated.
Piquet was fined US $945 000 (R17.1-million) last weekend for calling Hamilton “neguinho” (“little black”) in a 2021 interview.
In handing down its judgement, a court in the Brazilian capital, Brasilia, ruled that the “intolerable” remarks constituted a “serious offence to the fundamental values of society”.
World champion in 1981, 1983 and 1987, Piquet used the term while criticising Hamilton’s role in a clash with Max Verstappen, his daughter Kelly’s boyfriend, at the British Grand Prix the same year.
“The little black guy [Lewis Hamilton] put the car in and left because there was no way to pass two cars on that corner. He made a joke. Lucky for him, only the other one [Verstappen] got f***** up,” Piquet was reported as saying.
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He, however, later apologised, saying, “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”.
Mercedes driver Hamilton has come out in the support of the verdict, telling journalists at the press briefing in Melbourne ahead of this weekend’s first Australian Grand Prix in four years, “I’d like to acknowledge the Brazil government, I think it’s pretty amazing what they’ve done in holding someone accountable, showing people – that is not tolerated.
“I still believe that we generally shouldn’t be giving people that are just full of hate a platform,” he said in Melbourne ahead of the Australian Grand Prix on Sunday.
“Racism and homophobia is not acceptable, and there is no place for it within our society. So I love that they’ve shown that they stand for something.”
In passing its verdict, the court fined Piquet for “collective moral damages” with the money being donated to groups fighting against discrimination.
His subsequent apology was said to have made little impact on court, ruling that his “absence of intention could not justify discriminatory behaviour towards minorities”.
Additional reporting by Charl Bosch
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