In an interview on a Brazilian podcast in November 2021, Piquet used a racial slur referring to seven-time world champion Hamilton, whereas being requested on his views on Hamilton’s British Grand Prix conflict with Max Verstappen.
Piquet apologised for his remarks after they surfaced final June, stating his language “was unwell thought out, and I make no defence for it”.
He additionally claimed he was mistranslated because the derogatory time period he used “is one which has broadly and traditionally been used colloquially in Brazilian Portuguese as a synonym for ‘man’ or ‘particular person’ and was by no means meant to offend.”
However 4 human rights teams, together with Brazil’s Nationwide LGBT+ Alliance, took the matter to courtroom, suing Piquet for 10 million Brazilian reals for ethical damages.
On Friday, the civil courtroom in Brazil’s capital Brasilia ordered Piquet to pay half the demanded quantity, 5 million reals, the equal of £780,000. He’ll be capable to enchantment.
Within the resolution, the decide in query said that the scale of the high-quality represents not solely “the reparatory operate of civil accountability, but in addition (and maybe primarily) the punitive operate, exactly in order that as a society we are able to someday eliminate the pernicious acts which might be racism and homophobia”.
On the time Piquet’s feedback prompted widespread condemnation by the F1 paddock and in a response on social media Hamilton wrote: “These archaic mindsets want to alter and don’t have any place in our sport. I’ve been surrounded by these attitudes and focused my complete life.”
“It is greater than language. These archaic mindsets want to alter and don’t have any place in our sport.
“I have been surrounded by these attitudes and focused my complete life. There was loads of time to study. Time has come for motion.”
Lewis Hamilton, Mercedes-AMG
Photograph by: Steve Etherington / Motorsport Images
The 1981, 1983 and 1987 world champion was subsequently barred from the F1 paddock and was additionally suspended as an honorary member of the British Racing Drivers Club.
Hamilton, the one Black driver in F1 and the one Black world champion, has been on the forefront of a push to enhance range and inclusion in motorsport.
He established The Hamilton Fee, which performed a report trying into the illustration of Black folks inside motorsport.
Primarily based on the conclusions from that report, Hamilton and Mercedes launched the Ignite charity to get extra college students from underrepresented backgrounds into STEM schooling. The charity is aligned with Hamilton’s private Mission 44 basis.
Within the build-up to final 12 months’s Brazilian Grand Prix, Hamilton turned an honorary citizen of the nation.
