F1 World Reacts To Resurfacing Racial Slurs Used By Nelson Piquet Towards Lewis Hamilton

As the chase continues for the number 1 spot and securing a legacy in Formula One, every so often a racially-charged slur from an F1 official would naturally steal the spotlight and take professional racing sports 10 steps behind. 

An easy target for constantly facing discrimination in such a white-dominated sport is none other than Lewis Hamilton. The British racing legend must be the first athlete with no controversy under his name attacked so often. Once again, he clicks the world sports headlines after an interview involving Formula One racing veteran, Nelson Piquet, emerged this week describing Hamilton as the “N-word.”

Piquet’s Racial Remarks Come To Light Upon Hamilton & Verstappen Crash Anniversary

This latest saga follows a resurfaced podcast interview video clip in light of its anniversary, where Nelson Piquet criticized Hamilton’s performance in last year's British Grand Prix. Hamilton had crashed into Max Verstappen, and many felt Hamilton was at fault. As a result, the Dutchman finished poorly after losing control of his vehicle.

Things become a bit more interesting when you find out that Verstappen is in a relationship with Piquet’s daughter Kelly. 

In the wake of Piquet’s remarks coming to light, the leading Mercedes ambassador took to Twitter stating, “ 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.”

The FIA, motorsport's governing body, also spoke out in solidarity with Hamilton, expressing "The FIA strongly condemns any racist or discriminatory language and behavior, 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 motorsport."

Racing the clock with the urgency of this matter, the F1 organization also immediately released a statement, expressing "Discriminatory or racist language is unacceptable in any form and has no part in society," Formula One said. “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."

In the thick of the saga, Piquet’s apology for the racial slur came Wednesday, basically diffusing the intensity of the translation as the rest of the world sees it:

"I apologize wholeheartedly to anyone that was affected, including Lewis, who is an incredible driver, but the translation in some media that is now circulating on social media is not correct," the statement according to Piquet said.

"What I said was ill-thought, and I make no defense for it, but I will clarify that the term used 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," said Piquet.

"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 color."

Nelson Piquet, the three-time world champion, has been banned from visiting the F1 paddock in the future as punishment for his comments about Hamilton.

Is It Fame? Or Is He Framed?

Whilst all the negativity is aimed at him, the way Lewis handled 2021’s loss in Abu Dhabi should tell you all about his character. He’s globally known to add a massive amount of value to the sport, bringing different minorities to invest in the sport, and different A-list celebrities turning up in seats around the F1 calendar.

Is it fame? Or is he framed? Either way, stay tuned for more F1 action as Sir Lewis continues racing for his throne, and your won bets at New Jersey Online Casinos are still yet to claim.