Seven-time Formula One world champion Lewis Hamilton has called for changes in the "archaic mentality" after former F1 driver Nelson Piquet used a racial slur to refer to him in an interview.
Seven-time Formula One world champion Lewis Hamilton has called for changes in the "archaic mentality" after former F1 driver Nelson Piquet used a racial slur to refer to him in an interview.
Piquet used the word "neguinho" in a November interview that was widely reported by Brazilian media outlets this week.
In response, Hamilton said on Twitter that he has been the target of this kind of thing all his life and that there was plenty of time to learn, but "the time has come to act.
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.
- Lewis Hamilton (@LewisHamilton) June 28, 2022
Three-time world champion Piquet criticized Hamilton's collision with Red Bull's Max Verstappen at last year's British GP.
Hamilton, the Mercedes driver, won his home race.
Piquet's daughter Kelly has been in a relationship with Verstappen since 2020. She and Max Verstappen have nothing to do with it, but this fact only makes the injury to Nelson Piquet, a three-time Formula 1 world champion, worse.
The racing community has come out in support of Hamilton since Piquet's comments gained traction on Monday night.
Several teams and drivers were quick to express their support for Hamilton, with Ferrari saying it "stands by" him and Mercedes in their fight against discrimination.
George Russell also took to social media on Tuesday to support his teammate, posting:
"Big respect to LH. He has done more for the sport than any driver in history, not just on the track but off the track."
"The fact that he and so many others are STILL having to deal with this behavior is unacceptable. We all need to unite against discrimination of any kind."
Mercedes criticized the comments against its driver, calling him a "true champion of diversity on and off the track."
Formula One and the FIA, the body that oversees motorsport, also issued statements condemning the use of racist and discriminatory language.
Twitter
Hamilton has long spoken openly about the racism he has experienced for years as a black driver and uses his platform to fight for equality.
Hamilton, Formula One, the press - including the Grand Prix - and the overwhelming majority of motorsport fans expect at the very least a retraction from Nelson Piquet, which to this point has not happened.