Nelson Piquet fined over racist, homophobic comments about Lewis Hamilton

Brazilian triple Formula One champion, Nelson Piquet, has been ordered to pay £780 000 in damages for making racist and homophobic comments about seven-time world champion, Lewis Hamilton.

The 69-year-old former racer used a racial slur when commenting on Hamilton's British Grand Prix crash with Red Bull's Max Verstappen in an interview in November 2021.

Piquet's daughter Kelly is the partner of Hamilton's rival, Verstappen.

In another clip that emerged later, Piquet used racist and homophobic language about Hamilton in a podcast interview, describing how Hamilton missed out on the 2016 championship to Nico Rosberg.

Hamilton, the sport's only black driver, called for action to change "archaic mindsets" after footage of the interview surfaced on social media last June. Piquet apologised to Hamilton, but claimed his comments had been mistranslated.

However, the Brazilian court rejected Piquet's explanation and ruled that he must pay the damages.

The charges were brought by four human rights groups, including Brazil's National LGBT+ Alliance, which had requested Piquet to pay 10 million Brazilian Reals (around £780,000) for alleged moral damages.

Judge Pedro Matos de Arrudo, who delivered the verdict, stated that the compensation amount aimed to serve both the reparative function of civil liability and the punitive function. He highlighted that society should be free from racism and homophobia, and these pernicious acts should be condemned.

As a consequence of his actions, Piquet will not be permitted to enter the F1 paddock. Hamilton, who was awarded honorary Brazilian citizenship last June, has consistently spoken out against racism in the sport and has advocated for greater diversity and inclusivity.