(Melbourne) Lewis Hamilton welcomed Thursday the fine imposed by Brazilian justice on the former three-time Formula 1 world champion Nelson Piquet for having made racist remarks against him, believing that it should not be tolerated people “full of hate”.
The Brazilian, world champion (1981, 1983 and 1987), was fined 945,000 dollars last week by a court in Brasilia for calling Lewis Hamilton, himself seven times crowned in F1, a “neguinho (“little black”) during a 2021 interview.
The court ruled that the “intolerable” remarks constituted a “serious offense to the fundamental values of society” and condemned Piquet, 70, to a large fine for “collective moral damages”, the money to be paid to associations fighting against discrimination.
Piquet made these remarks when commenting on the rivalry between Max Verstappen and Lewis Hamilton. His daughter Kelly is the companion of Verstappen, himself world champion in 2021 and 2022.
“I think people who are full of hate shouldn’t be given a platform to speak out,” Hamilton, the first black driver in F1 history, told a press conference. ahead of the Australian Grand Prix this weekend.
“I would like to thank the Brazilian government and I find it quite remarkable that they held someone accountable for his words and to show that this could not be tolerated,” the Mercedes driver continued. “Racism and homophobia are not acceptable and have no place in our society and I’m so glad they showed that.”
Nelson Piquet later apologized for his remarks, saying their purpose was not to offend anyone.
