Hamilton is satisfied that Nelson Piquet has been convicted
On Thursday, Lewis Hamilton expressed his satisfaction with the fine received by Nelson Piquet after the Brazilian made racist remarks towards the British driver.
The end of a controversial saga. This Thursday, Lewis Hamilton spoke out following the fine imposed on Nelson Piquet for racist and homophobic remarks made against him. The Briton welcomed the decision of the Brazilian justice.
As a reminder, Nelson Piquet was fined five million reals, which is over 950,000 dollars, by Brazil after the broadcasting last year of two clips showing the Brazilian making racist and homophobic remarks about Lewis Hamilton. Three human rights defense groups and the LGBT+ alliance of Brazil took charge of the case. Until yesterday, the main involved party had not spoken since the court’s verdict.
The seven-time world champion expressed his happiness at the country’s court decision, of which he is an honorary citizen: “I would like to thank the Brazilian government, I think it’s quite incredible what they have done by holding him accountable, showing people that it is not tolerated,” declared the Briton before adding that “racism and homophobia are not acceptable, and there is no place for them in our society. So, I love the fact that they have shown that they stand up for this.” Since his arrival in Formula 1, Lewis Hamilton has been very committed, notably with the Black Lives Matter movement and LGBT+ rights. “Therefore, I love the fact that they have shown that they defend this.” He wants to change mentalities and calls on governments to do more: “I hope that more governments do this, as you have just seen in Uganda, which has adopted a bill aiming to impose the death penalty for homosexuality,” concluded the Briton.
