Lewis Hamilton is not having the best of seasons. A true legend, accustomed to the absolute elite that now has to see the triumph in the hands of other colleagues in Formula 1. The Mercedes British driver is not only receiving blows on the tracks, but also off them, such as the racist comment he was subjected to by former Brazilian driver Nelson Piquet.
Piquet is one of the icons of Brazilian motorsport, along with Ayrton Senna and Emerson Fittipaldi, thanks to his three-time Formula 1 champion. A feat he achieved with three different teams: Parmalat Racing Team, Fila Sport and Canon Williams Team, this throughout the 80's.
It is well known, due to his track record, that Nelson Piquet is not the friendliest of drivers. In addition to what he said about Lewis Hamilton, his way of referring to others has already generated controversy, such as when he called Ayrton Senna "gay", Enzo Ferrari "senile", or the wife of his then Formula 1 rival Nigel Mansell "ugly".
Nelson Piquet's racist comment to Lewis Hamilton
It is undeniable that to refer to Lewis Hamilton is to refer to a motor racing legend. Along with the legendary Michael Schumacher, he has won the most championships in the history of Formula 1 with seven. However, the mark of racism reached him when Nelson Piquet, in a disrespectful way, addressed him with a racist comment.
This happened in November 2021, when in an interview for a Brazilian podcast, he referred to Hamilton as "neguinho", which can be translated as nigger. The controversy was reignited when his words were picked up by CNN in recent days.
Lewis Hamilton reacts to Nelson Piquet's comment on Twitter
Hamilton became aware of what Piquet said at the end of last year and did not take long to express himself through his Twitter account, in which he condemned the fact and made it clear that it is now time to not allow this to happen anymore, taking action, perhaps with harsher penalties in this regard.
"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.", tweeted Hamilton.
