F1 legend Nelson Piquet has apologised for comments made about Lewis Hamilton, but has denied any racist intent behind his words.
The Brazilian used a slang term for 'n*****' when speaking about Hamilton's crash with Max Verstappen - who dates Piquet's daughter - at Silverstone last year. His comments were made in November but only came to light earlier this week. Now, he has apologised.
In a statement, Piquet said: "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 colour.
“I apologise 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. Discrimination has no place in F1 or society and I am happy to clarify my thoughts in that respect.”
The three-time world champion encountered widespread criticism after the audio in question came to light. F1 condemned the comments in a statement and said racist language "has no part in society."
Hamilton himself was quick to respond and tweeted "Vamos focar em mudar a mentalidade," which translates from Portuguese as "Let's focus on changing the mindset." He followed up in another post, 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."
It was reported earlier on Wednesday that Piquet was facing a potential lifetime ban from F1 as a result of his racist abuse. However, it's possible his apology could be taken into account when it comes to salvaging his legacy in the sport.
Piquet won F1 world championships in 1981, 1983 and 1987 while racing or Brabham and Williams. He has been widely regarded as one of the sport's most celebrated drivers in the past, having spent more than a decade competing at the elite level prior to his 1991 retirement.
Hamilton, meanwhile, remains the only black driver in F1 and continues to campaign for equality in sport and beyond. The Mercedes marvel is struggling in sixth so far this season but will attempt to improve his fortunes by targeting an eighth British Grand Prix crown in nine seasons at Silverstone this Sunday.
