Sebastian Vettel called for F1 action over Nelson Piquet's controversial racist remark referring to Lewis Hamilton and asked that the matter "not be forgotten".
As expected, the press conference of Formula 1 drivers arriving at Silverstone for the British GP was marked by Nelson Piquet's racist speech referring to the seven-time world champion Lewis Hamilton. And, being one of the leading voices fighting for change in the paddock and beyond, Sebastian Vettel spoke out strongly in favor of the Briton.
"To be honest, this goes beyond the last few days," 'Seb' began. "It's probably what Hamilton and his family have been through all their lives. Any form of abuse is wrong, so I think that's why there was an avalanche of responses from the whole F1 community so quickly, people responded and expressed their support for Lewis on the issue," he said.
"I don't think there should be room for that kind of commentary," he criticized. "Unfortunately, we still have a lot of them. I think we've come a long way from a few years ago, but it doesn't help when we still have these things. It's not good that here there are people saying inappropriate things or using inappropriate language and shooting the wrong things," he added.
Vettel also asked that the matter not be forgotten. According to the Aston Martin driver's opinion, Formula One cannot act as if nothing happened and people need to remember what happened - otherwise the category would be going in the opposite direction of the diversity campaign it has propagated so much in recent years.
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"It's very important to keep talking about it, because it's a problem that doesn't evaporate," he went on to criticize the four-time champion. "It won't go away overnight, that would be great, but it won't. In this matter, F1 has a responsibility to respond to these problems. I think that's what they are trying to do," he said.
"We have a campaign [We Race As One in literal translation], and it's very clear where we're going and where we want to go in the future," he stressed. "More than the language and the things we're trying to do, it's how you behave and how you include others, no matter what color you are, what kind of partner you have, your sexual orientation," he stressed.
Finally, Vettel talked about "eradicating" certain "bad" things from the category and made a point of saying that Formula One should be open to all communities, without distinctions of any kind.
"It is obvious that every community should be welcome," he commented. "We should always respond like this, and quickly, and make it clear that we are open to everyone. Kindnesses matter and people matter. We have to eradicate these bad things that are happening," he finished.
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 was widely reported in the international press, journalist Ricardo Oliveira asked Piquet about a similar maneuver by Ayrton Senna in the past, and the three-time champion disagreed.
"The 'neguinho' put his 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.
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 note from the category highlighted.
Mercedes also officially commented on 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 in society in general. We express our solidarity with Lewis Hamilton and fully support his commitment to equality, diversity and inclusion in motor sport," it said.
Hamilton, likewise, has not been silent. The seven-time world champion took to social media to respond to the repercussions. First, Hamilton 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 back 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.
In a statement to the international press the day after the repercussion 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.