Last summer, Formula 1, the FIA and the Mercedes F1 team were outraged after ex-world champion Nelson Piquet went on a racist and homophobic rant about seven-time champion Lewis Hamilton. Now, the Brazilian racer has been fined $950,000 after four human rights groups took him to court over the outburst.
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The former F1 racer appeared on a Brazilian podcast, where he used a “racially offensive expression in Portuguese” while discussing Hamilton’s career and his performances in the 2021 F1 season.
At the time, Piquet’s language was condemned by Formula 1, which called the outburst “unacceptable” and said that the Brazilian’s use of racist language had “no part in society.”
Despite efforts to apologize for his remarks, and claims that his words were “mistranslated,” Piquet has been taken to court by four human rights groups over his use of such language, as the Associated Press reports:
“The charges were filed by several human rights groups, including Brazil’s National LGBTI+ Alliance.
“In their complaint, the human rights groups said that Piquet violated the norm of human dignity enshrined in the country’s constitution. The judge said Piquet’s comments corresponded to the definition of racial discrimination outlined in Brazil’s 2010 Statute of Racial Equality.”
The four groups initially sued the ex-racer for 10 million Brazilian reals, which is equivalent to roughly $1.9 million. After hearing the case, a judge in the civil court in Brazil’s capital, Brasilia, ordered Piquet to pay half the demanded amount.
In its decision, the court said the fine constituted “moral damages” in an attempt to encourage society to “get rid of the pernicious acts that are racism and homophobia.” According to the Associated Press, the fine will be distributed between funds that promote racial equality and rally “against discrimination of the LGBTQIA+ community.”
Hamilton, the only Black driver racing in Formula 1, has not commented on the ruling in Brazil. But the racer, who was made an honorary citizen of Brazil in 2022, previously condemned Piquet’s “archaic mindset” and said that attitudes such as his had “no place in our sport.”