The condemnation facing Nelson Piquet has escalated as evidence of further racist and also homophobic slurs he has made against Lewis Hamilton has emerged. The Briton had already demanded the sport take action to combat racism and called for a change to the “archaic mindset” in the sport.
On Monday an interview from a podcast in 2021 was released of Piquet using a racial slur to describe Hamilton. The three-time champion in the 1980s was roundly vilified by the sport, with F1 and the FIA issuing statements condemning racism. The Brazilian, whose daughter is the partner of Max Verstappen, has since been banned from the F1 paddock for life. Piquet had issued a statement saying his words had been “ill thought-out” but denying they were racist, claiming they had been mistranslated. His arguments were given little credence and now look all but hollow as further footage has emerged.
