In a statement to the international press, the former driver said he had no intention of offending and stressed that some of the translations circulating on the internet do not accurately portray the word he used. The Brazilian condemned racism, but claimed that the expression "neguinho" is "widely and historically" used in colloquial Portuguese
Nelson Piquet has spoken to the international press about the term of racist connotation used to refer to Lewis Hamilton during an interview given in 2021 and that recently went viral on social networks. The three-time champion issued a statement on Wednesday (29) apologizing to the English driver and "everyone who felt affected", but defended himself, saying he was the "victim" of an "incorrect translation".
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 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.
The video resurfaced on social networks last week and went viral in Brazil. But it didn't take long for the first splashes to fall outside the country, until it reached foreign journalists and exploded for good.
In his note, Piquet starts the text by saying that he would like to clarify the story that exploded in the world and motivated repudiation notes from practically the entire F1 community and from motorsports in general. Without foreseeing the size of the negative repercussion in the media, the former driver was keen to make it clear that he "never intended to offend anyone."
"I would like to clarify the story circulating in the media regarding a comment I made during an interview last year," Piquet said. "What I said was poorly thought out, and I'm not going to defend myself against it, but I want to clarify that the term used is a term widely and historically used in colloquial Brazilian Portuguese as a synonym for 'guy' or 'person' and never intended to offend," he followed.
"I never used the word that some translations have accused me of using. I strongly condemn any insinuation that I used the word for the purpose of belittling a pilot because of the color of his skin," he stressed. "I sincerely apologize to everyone who felt affected, including Lewis, who is an amazing driver, but the translation currently circulating on social media is not correct," he stressed.
"Discrimination has no place in F1 and in society, and I am happy to clarify what I think in this regard," he concluded.
As soon as Piquet's speech became public knowledge, Formula 1 issued a note of repudiation, even without naming the three-time champion. "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 in 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 motor sport.