Max Verstappen said that Nelson Piquet was wrong to use racist terms to refer to Lewis Hamilton, but defended the three-time champion and cited that he is not prejudiced
World champion and 2022 season leader Max Verstappen has finally spoken out about the racist comments made by Nelson Piquet to seven-time world champion Lewis Hamilton. Piquet, who is the father of Max's girlfriend Kelly, used a racist term in an interview published in 2021, but it gained more repercussion and repudiation this week.
When asked about the situation, Verstappen stated that Nelson is wrong to use the racist term, but defended the three-time champion, citing that he is not prejudiced.
"I think the word used, despite different cultures and things said when we are younger, was not correct. I've spent a bit of time with Nelson, I think more than the average person in general, and he's definitely not racist," he commented during the British GP press conference.
Nelson Piquet's racist remark occurred last year, when the three-time champion was commenting on the crash between Hamilton and Verstappen at the Formula One British Grand Prix.
In the video, which gained repercussions 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.
Verstappen also stated that he will not talk to Nelson about the situation, and went on to maintain that the three-time world champion is not racist, despite condemning his use of words.
"I'm not going to call him up and say, 'hey, man. That wasn't cool.' He already knows. I already said that in the statement, I think he understands he used the wrong word, who am I to call him? I don't think it will change anything," he followed.
"And as he said, it can be interpreted two ways. Of course people take the bad side and it gets a bigger proportion, because I know Nelson personally. People will label him a racist, which I don't think he is, but I agree that he can't use those words," he added.
Lewis Hamilton responded to Piquet's speech 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 have been surrounded by these attitudes and have been a target for my whole life. There was plenty of time to learn. The time for action is now," 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 motor sport," the body ended.
In a statement addressed to the international press the day after the repercussions of the episode, Piquet apologized to Hamilton, but claimed "incorrect translation" of the racist term - used more than once, it is worth remembering. 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.
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