June 28, (THEWILL) – On Tuesday, Sir Lewis Hamilton spoke out against Nelson Piquet, a three-time Formula One champion, for using racist slurs against him.
Piquet allegedly used a racial epithet towards Hamilton in November, when discussing an on-track incident between the Mercedes driver and Red Bull opponent, Max Verstappen. Following the viral distribution of the interview’s footage on Twitter, Hamilton reacted, saying:
“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.”
A Mercedes statement of Piquet’s comments read: “We condemn in the strongest terms any use of racist or discriminatory language of any kind. Lewis has spearheaded our sport’s efforts to combat racism, and he is a true champion of diversity on and off track. Together, we share a vision for a diverse and inclusive motorsport, and this incident underlines the fundamental importance of continuing to strive for a brighter future.”
F1 added: “Discriminatory or racist language is unacceptable in any form and has no part in society.”
Jude Obafemi is a versatile senior Correspondent at THEWILL Newspapers, excelling in sourcing, researching, and delivering sports news stories for both print and digital publications.
