Esteban Ocon recalled the respectful relationship with Lewis Hamilton during their time at Mercedes and said he stands with the driver in the fight for inclusion in motor sports. Heptachampion suffered with Nelson Piquet's racist speech
After George Russell and Charles Leclerc, Esteban Ocon was another member of the Formula One grid to come out in defense of Lewis Hamilton after Nelson Piquet's racist comments. The Frenchman from Alpine posted a note on social media showing support for the seven-time world champion.
Ocon recalled his relationship with Lewis during the period when they worked together at Mercedes. Esteban was a member of the team's academy at Brackley and was also a test driver for the Silver Arrows.
"All racism or discriminatory language has no part in our sport and society. That's enough," Esteban declared.
"I've worked and spent time with Lewis over the years, and I know the kind of person he is. Always genuine, respectful to everyone around him. He has done so much for Formula One, on and off the track, and we are proud to have him at the forefront of the fight for diversity and inclusion in motorsport," he followed.
"I stand with Lewis and his efforts to make the sport we love a better place for everyone," he added.
The racist comment by Nelson Piquet occurred last year, when the three-time champion commented on the crash between the Mercedes driver and Max Verstappen at the Formula 1 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.
Lewis Hamilton responded to Piquet's statement on his social networks. First, he posted on his Twitter account a message in Portuguese. "Let's focus on changing the mentality," wrote the seven-time world champion. Shortly after, the Mercedes driver tweeted again in English and called for forceful anti-racist actions.
"It's more than language. These archaic mentalities need to change and have no place in our sport. I was surrounded by these attitudes and was a target for my whole life. There was plenty of time to learn. Now is the time for action," Hamilton emphasized.
The fact generated public expressions of repudiation from Formula 1, which did not mention Piquet's name in an official statement released in the early hours of Tuesday (28). "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 said.
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.