Former F1 champion Piquet fined $950K US for racist, homophobic comments about Hamilton | CBC Sports

Retired Formula One champion Nelson Piquet has been ordered to pay $950,000 US in “moral damages” for making racist and homophobic comments about Lewis Hamilton.

The 70-year-old Brazilian had referred to seven-time champion Hamilton as “neguinho,” a racially offensive term which means “little Black guy,” in 2021. In another interview, Piquet used racist and homophobic language.

The court in Brasilia on Friday ordered Piquet to pay 5 million Brazilian reals “in collective moral damages, to be allocated to funds for the promotion of racial equality and against discrimination of the LGBTQIA+ community.”

Hamilton had condemned “archaic mindsets,” and the Mercedes driver said he had been “surrounded by these attitudes and targeted [his] whole life.” He is the only Black driver in F1 and received honorary citizenship from Brazil last year.

Piquet, who won three F1 titles in the 1980s, was discussing a crash between Hamilton and Red Bull driver Max Verstappen that took place during the British Grand Prix in 2021. His daughter Kelly Piquet is Verstappen’s girlfriend.

Piquet later apologized in a statement for the “ill thought out” racial term but said it “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 had used racist and homophobic language in the other interview when discussing Hamilton missing out on a previous championship.

Piquet’s comments implied if Hamilton hadn’t been gay, “he would have won the championship. … Therefore, being gay would be a negative characteristic,” the judge said in his decision.

The retired driver has the right to appeal the ruling.

Piquet had angered some F1 fans for his support of former far-right President Jair Bolsonaro. He donated about $95,000 to Bolsonaro’s failed re-election bid.