Nelson Piquet has apologised for recent language used against Lewis Hamilton, but insists there was no racist intent.
The three-time F1 champion referred to Hamilton as “neguinho” (which translates as “little n*****”) in an old interview that aired this week.
Piquet, 69, is not a regular on the grid and the sport’s bosses have not taken any action against the Brazilian over his remarks. But it was thought he would be barred from attending this weekend’s British Grand Prix at Silverstone or any grand prix this 2022 season unless he apologised.
Piquet has now issued a statement in which he acknowledged that his remarks were ill-conceived but claimed they were not racist, insisting that the word used has different connotations in Brazil.
“I would like to clear up the stories circulating in the media about a comment I made in an interview last year,” he said.
“What I said was ill thought out, and I make no defence for it, but I will clarify that the term used is one that has widely and historically been used colloquially in Brazilian Portuguese as a synonym for ‘guy’ or ‘person’ and was never intended to offend.”
Piquet, whose daughter Kelly is Max Verstappen’s girlfriend, is no stranger to controversy. He referred to another world champion, fellow countryman Ayrton Senna, who died in 1994, as the “Sao Paulo taxi driver” and, when asked who was the greatest Brazilian F1 driver, he said: “I’m alive.”
Hamilton said that “archaic mindsets need to change” in the wake of Piquet’s racist slur towards him.
And Formula One said in a statement: “Discriminatory or racist language is unacceptable in any form and has no part in society.
“Lewis is an incredible ambassador for our sports and deserves respect. His tireless efforts to increase diversity and inclusion are a lesson to many and something we are committed to in F1.”
