Lewis Hamilton and F1 respond after former world champion Nelson Piquet uses racist language about him.

The incident happened in November 2021, when Piquet was appearing on a Brazillian podcast discussing the collision that happened between Max Verstappen and Lewis in the 2021 British Grand Prix.

Piquet, who is the father of Verstappen’s partner Kelly Piquet, was speaking in portuguese when discussing the incident. He called it “a joke” and claimed Lewis had been “lucky” only Verstappen had crashed. He then went on to refer to Hamilton with a racist term that is the equivalent of calling someone the N-word.

The incident has only come to light recently as media gets underway for this years British Grand Prix on Sunday (July 3rd).

Piquet has been condemned by Lewis himself, his Mercedes team, Formula 1, and the FIA.

Seven time world champion Hamilton said:

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.

F1 put out a statement saying:

Discriminatory or racist language is unacceptable in any form and has no part in society. Lewis is an incredible ambassador for our sport and deserves respect. His tireless efforts to increase diversity and inclusion are a lesson to many and something we are committed to at F1.

Piquet has history of making offensive comments and unpleasant remarks. Throughout his career he publicly questioned Aryton Senna’s sexuality, as well as making offensive comments about Nigel Mansell and his wife.

Mercedes have said:

We condemn in the strongest terms any use of racist or discriminatory language of any kind. Lewis has spearheaded our sport's efforts to combat racism, and he is a true champion of diversity on and off track. Together, we share a vision for a diverse and inclusive motorsport, and this incident underlines the fundamental importance of continuing to strive for a brighter future.