Racism in F1: Nelson Piquet fined $950k for racist, homophobic slur against Lewis Hamilton

Three-time Formula 1 world champion Nelson Piquet was ordered to pay a fine of 5 million reals or $950,000 (£775.7k) after being charged with racism and homophobia towards Mercedes driver Lewis Hamilton. The decision was made on Friday in a civil court in Brasilia, the capital of Piquet's native Brazil. Incidentally, Hamilton, who hails from the United Kingdom, was awarded an honorary Brazilian citizenship last year in the lead-up to the Brazilian Grand Prix.

The fine is half of the initial amount demanded by the complainants in the case which stems from a November 2021 interview wherein Piquet weighed in on the tight F1 World Championship battle between Hamilton and Red Bull Racing driver Max Verstappen.

Where did the allegations of racism and homophobia come from?

It may be remembered that Verstappen narrowly won the championship under controversial circumstances at the final race of the season in Abu Dhabi. However, even before the controversial final race, the pair had been butting heads all season. Unfortunately, they had also clashed numerous times on-track. One particularly big shunt came at the British Grand Prix, where Verstappen ended up in hospital after a nudge by Hamilton sent him flying into the barriers at high speed.

While speaking during an interview with a Brazilian podcast, Piquet used what is perceived by many as a racial slur while talking about Hamilton. The interview did not initially gain much traction, but it was uncovered months later after Verstappen had already wrapped up the 2021 Driver's World Championship title.

Once the interview resurfaced, Piquet issued an apology saying that his comments were "ill thought out." However, he also defended himself by claiming that he did not use the term as a racial slur, but it is instead "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."

The Brazilian court is not convinced

Despite Piquet's arguments about the term being a common colloquial word that isn't meant to be offensive, a judge ruled against him. The fine is extremely hefty, but according to an excerpt of the verdict obtained by Motorsport.com, the judge claims that the amount is a representation of not only "the reparatory function of civil responsibility, but also (and perhaps mainly) the punitive function, precisely so that as a society we can one day get rid of the pernicious acts that are racism and homophobia."

Who filed the complaint against Piquet?

The case against Piquet was not put forward by Hamilton himself. Four human rights groups led by Brazil's National LGBT+ Alliance sued Piquet for 10 million Brazilian reals as compensation for moral damages. However, it is unclear if Hamilton is interested in the compensation in any way.

The seven-time world champion did not personally file a case but he released a statement on social media when the interview gained traction in mid-2022. "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," he said.

"There has been plenty of time to learn. Time has come for action," he added before stating in a subsequent interview that the the opinions of "irrelevant" personalities in the F1 paddock need to be silenced.

F1 management stand with Hamilton

Soon after the controversy exploded, Formula 1 management banned Piquet from entering the paddock in future races. While he is no longer connected to F1 in a professional capacity, the 70-year-old racing legend was still very present as a pundit and was also often travelling with his daughter, Kelly Piquet. She travels to most, if not all the races to support her partner, Max Verstappen. Piquet was also suspended from his honorary membership to the British Racing Drivers' Club.

Formula 1 has been working actively with Hamilton in an effort to eradicate racism from the sport long before the Piquet issue even emerged. Last year, The Hamilton Commission was established in cooperation with F1 management, and a study was made into the shortcomings of the sport as a whole when it comes to diversity and inclusivity.

Hamilton's team, Mercedes, have also initiated the Ignite Charity, which aims to open more doors for minority groups to gain access to STEM education which could pave their way to working in F1 and other motorsports.