Lewis Hamilton, F1's lone Black driver, says 'archaic mindsets' about colour must change

Formula One great Lewis Hamilton said "archaic mindsets" have to change after retired champion Nelson Piquet reportedly used a racial slur against him.

Hamilton's comments came after F1 and FIA condemned racist language.

"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," Hamilton tweeted on Tuesday.

"There has been plenty of time to learn. Time has come for action."

The only Black driver in F1, Hamilton is a seven-time world champion.

He also wrote in Portuguese, "Vamos focar em mudar a mentalidade" (Let's focus on changing the mindset), and responded to another tweet which used an expletive about Piquet, a 69-year-old Brazilian who won three F1 titles.

Piquet was discussing a crash between Hamilton and Max Verstappen during last year's British Grand Prix when Piquet used the word "neguinho" — which means "little Black guy" —  in November on a YouTube podcast named Enerto.

The word is not necessarily a racist slur in Brazil, but it is an expression that has been increasingly seen as distasteful, and its phrasing can also emphasize that.

Piquet's comment didn't go viral at the time, but suddenly did on Monday, although it is unclear why it was so long after the interview.

Piquet is a staunch supporter of Brazil President Jair Bolsonaro, the far-right politician running for re-election in 100 days. Piquet previously drove Bolsonaro around Brasilia, which went viral.

"Discriminatory or racist language is unacceptable in any form and has no part in society. Lewis is an incredible ambassador for our sport and deserves respect," F1 said in a statement. "His tireless efforts to increase diversity and inclusion are a