- Sir Lewis Hamilton calls for “action. “
- The FIA and F1 respond with their own statements
- Hamilton gets support from his team
- Why is Sir Lewis Hamilton still dealing with stuff like this?
Despite Sir Lewis Hamilton making efforts to bring more inclusivity to Formula 1 and shine a light on social issues that plague black people, women, LGBTQIA+, and other marginalized groups, the seven-time world champion continues to experience racism.
Audio has surfaced from a 2021 podcast in which Brazilian former F1 champion Nelson Piquet Sr. referred to Hamilton by the N-word while discussing the controversial accident between Hamilton and Max Verstappen at Silverstone. Motorsport.com’s Brazil editor translated the comments into the following quote: “But the n***** put the car [on the inside of Copse]. Copse is a very high speed corner, there’s no way two cars can make it side-by-side. He played dirty. His luck was that [Verstappen] got f****d. And [Hamilton] was very lucky.”
For further context, Piquet Sr. is the father of Kelly Piquet. Kelly’s boyfriend is Hamilton’s fiercest rival, Max Verstappen.
The revelation of Piquet Sr. using the slur comes just weeks after it was revealed that Hamilton could become an honorary citizen of Brazil.
Sir Lewis Hamilton calls for “action. “
After the audio clip resurfaced and went viral on social media, Hamilton responded on twitter but without mentioning Piquet Sr. specifically. “It’s more than language. These archaic mindsets need to change and have no place in our sport,” tweeted Hamilton. “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.”
While not stating it explicitly, it could be interpreted that Hamilton is calling for the FIA and F1 to step in but thus far, there has been no official actions taken against Piquet Sr.
The FIA and F1 respond with their own statements
While neither the FIA nor F1 have yet to ban Piquet Sr. from future events or take any similar actions, both organizations tweeted responses to the incident.
“The FIA strongly condemns any racist or discriminatory language and behaviour, which have no place in sport or wider society. We express our solidarity with Lewis Hamilton and fully support his commitment to equality, diversity and inclusion in motor sport,” the FIA tweeted.
F1’s statement read “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.”
At the moment it is unclear if either organization will act beyond their obligatory condemnation of what was said by Piquet Sr.
Hamilton gets support from his team
For what it’s worth, the Mercedes-AMG Petronas F1 team and teammate George Russell have both shared their own statements via Twitter showing support for Hamilton.
“We condemn in the strongest terms any use of racist or discriminatory language of any kind,” read a statement from Mercedes-AMG Petronas. “Lewis has spearheaded our sport’s efforts to combat, and he is a true champion of diversity on and off track.”
George Russell tweeted: “Huge respect to LH. He has done more for the sport than any driver in history, not just on track but off it. The fact that he and so many others are STILL having to deal with this behaviour is unacceptable. We all need to stand together against discrimination of any kind.”
As of the time of this article, neither of Nelson Piquet Sr. ‘s children Kelly Piquet or Nelson Piquet Jr. have released statements condemning their father’s words. Thus far, most F1 drivers remain silent as well. Besides Russell, the only other driver statement we’ve found was from Charles Leclerc who posted a statement to his Instagram stories feed.
It is possible other drivers may make statements in the days ahead.
Why is Sir Lewis Hamilton still dealing with stuff like this?
When Sir Lewis Hamilton reached Formula 1, he made history. As the only black driver in the sport, he represents millions of people all over the world who look like him. While that is remarkable, the unfortunate fact is that such progress can and does draw out racism dwelling beneath the surface (or exacerbates that which has been in the open).
Hamilton has used his success and fame to speak up for social justice generally but also also for inclusivity in motorsports. His resolve is admirable, as regardless of what he engages in outside of the driver’s seat, he likely will remain a lightning rod for racism from fans and others close to the sport. One needn’t scroll too far down in the comments sections for stories related to Hamilton to see aggressively racist vitriol thrown his way.
Take a moment to think about it. Sir Lewis Hamilton has accomplished more than just about any other driver in F1 history save Michael Schumacher. He is arguably one of the greatest F1 drivers of all time and even he has to deal with overt and casual racism in this sport. What’s the fix?
The FIA and Formula 1 need to do more. The minimum efforts of making statements that condemn racist language is not enough. The FIA needs make significant investments of time, money, and effort in creating more diversity in motorsports and in F1. Not just racial diversity, but diversity of thought, of gender, and and of economic backgrounds.
Keyword: Lewis Hamilton Responds to Retired Racer's Racist Slur