Nelson Piquet apologizes to Lewis Hamilton

Yesterday, a controversy concerning triple world champion Nelson Piquet erupted. A excerpt from an interview dating back to last November, in which the Brazilian referred to Lewis Hamilton using a term deemed discriminatory and racist, resurfaced and sparked outrage among the entire Formula 1 paddock.

The authorities, the teams, the drivers, and of course Lewis Hamilton himself reacted. It is now Nelson Piquet’s turn to explain in a statement and publicly apologize to the seven-time world champion. The former Williams and Brabham driver also indicates a misunderstanding around the translation of the term used.

« I would like to clarify the stories circulating in the media regarding a comment I made during an interview last year,” wrote Piquet initially. « What I said was thoughtless, I do not defend it, but I want to specify that the term used is widely and historically used in the Portuguese language in Brazil as a synonym for “guy” or “person” and has never been used to offend. I would never use the word I have been accused of in some translations. I strongly condemn any insinuation in which the word was used to demean a driver because of their skin color. »

« I sincerely want to apologize to everyone who has been affected, including Lewis, who is an incredible driver, but the translation of certain media that is now circulating on social media is incorrect », adds Nelson Piquet. « Discrimination has no place in F1 or in society, and I am happy to clarify my thoughts on this matter.

Despite these public apologies, Nelson Piquet could be denied access to the F1 paddock starting today, according to information revealed by several media outlets such as BBC Sport and Autosport.