Ferrari, McLaren, Aston Martin and Alpine have posted messages in support of Lewis Hamilton, who was the target of a racist remark by Nelson Piquet in an interview last year
More voices have joined Lewis Hamilton in repudiation of the racist terms used by Nelson Piquet to refer to the Englishman during an interview that went viral on social networks and echoed in the international press on Tuesday (28). In addition to Formula 1 itself, FIA and Mercedes, other grid teams also expressed support for the seven-time champion.
In the post published by the Brackley team on its official Twitter account, saying it condemned any kind of racist and discriminatory language, Alpine left a message of support in the comments. "We are with you," the French team wrote, using a heart emoticon at the end. "Racism has no place in our sport, nor anywhere else," it added.
Ferrari retweeted F1's official statement with the following, "We stand by F1, Lewis Hamilton and Mercedes against any form of discrimination." The Italians also left a comment on the Silver Arrows' post saying "We stand with you."
McLaren was another team in the current grid that didn't keep quiet about what happened. Also on its official Twitter account, the Woking team left the following words: "McLaren stands with Lewis Hamilton and F1. Racism must be driven out of our sport, and it is our shared responsibility to unite to eliminate it."
Who also showed support was Aston Martin. Sebastian Vettel's team wrote "We stand with Lewis Hamilton and all those around the world affected by racism or discrimination of any kind. There is no room for this abhorrent behavior in our sport or society."
Nelson Piquet's racist remark occurred last year, when the three-time champion was commenting on the crash between the Mercedes driver and Max Verstappen at the Formula One British Grand Prix. In the video, which gained repercussion in the international press, journalist Ricardo Oliveira questioned Piquet about a similar maneuver by Ayrton Senna in the past, and the three-time champion disagreed. "The 'neguinho' put the car in and didn't let [Verstappen] pass. [...] The 'neguinho' left the car, because there was no way to pass two cars in that corner. [...] The 'neguinho' did it as a joke," said Piquet in the interview on November 3, 2021.
The fact generated public rejection from Formula 1, which did not mention Piquet's name in an official statement released in the early hours of Tuesday. "Discriminatory or racist language is unacceptable in any form and is not part of society. Lewis is an incredible ambassador for our sport and deserves respect. His tireless efforts to increase diversity and inclusion are a lesson to many and something we are committed to in F1," the F1 statement stressed.
Mercedes has also officially spoken out about the language used by Piquet. "We condemn in the strongest terms any use of racist or discriminatory language of any kind. Lewis has led our sport's efforts to combat racism and he is a true champion of diversity on and off the track. Together, we share a vision of diverse and inclusive motorsport, and this incident highlights the fundamental importance of continuing to strive for a better future," the team said.
The FIA also repudiated the event, saying via an official statement on its Twitter account that it "strongly condemns any racist or discriminatory language and behavior, which has no place in sport or society in general."
"We express our solidarity with Lewis Hamilton and fully support his commitment to equality, diversity and inclusion in motorsport," the body ended.