Piquet caught up in another scandal after racist Hamilton comments

Bernie Ecclestone discusses Lewis Hamilton and Nelson Piquet

Three-time F1 world champion Nelson Piquet is embroiled in another scandal in Brazil after being slapped with a hefty fine for using a racial slur when discussing Lewis Hamilton. The latest controversy involving Piquet allegedly surrounds former president Jair Bolsonaro and a set of Saudi Arabian jewels.

Piquet was a force to be reckoned with during his F1 days, walking away from the sport with 23 Grand Prix victories and a trio of world titles in the 1980s. The 70-year-old has gone on to become a controversial figure in retirement, with Hamilton questioning why he continues to be ‘given a platform’. 

According to a report from Brazilian outlet Globo, a shed on Piquet’s farm was used by Bolsonaro to stash a valuable set of jewels gifted to him by the Saudi government while still in office in 2019. 

The former Brazilian president, of whom Piquet is an outspoken supporter, is alleged to have avoided declaring the existence of the jewels in an attempt to keep them for himself.

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Piquet’s passionate support of the right-wing politician, who was in office between 2019 and 2022, landed him in trouble last year when he slammed the victorious Lula de Silva in a video posted online after a tight election result. 

“We’re going to get Lula, son of a b****, out of here,” he ranted, while another man standing alongside Piquet in the video continued: “That’s it! Brazil above everything, God above everything.” Piquet then rounded off the clip by adding: “And Lula there in a cemetery, son of a b****.”

Only last month, Piquet was ordered to pay £780,000 in moral damages by a Brazilian court after making racist and homophobic remarks when talking about Hamilton. Both as part of interviews that went viral online, one referred to his crash with Max Verstappen at Silverstone in 2021, while the other focused on his unsuccessful world title battle with Nico Rosberg in 2016. 

The charges were brought against Piquet by several human rights groups, including Brazil’s National LGBT+ Alliance, who wanted the former F1 star to pay an even bigger fine. Judge Pedro Matos de Arruda said he hoped the verdict would help free society from ‘the pernicious acts that are racism and homophobia’. 

Hamilton himself addressed the legal ruling and praised the Brazilian government for taking action. “Back when it happened I made comments on it – I still believe that we generally shouldn’t be giving people that are just full of hate a platform,” he told reporters last month.

“I’d like to acknowledge the Brazilian government. I think it’s pretty amazing what they have done in holding someone accountable, showing people that it’s not tolerated.”

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