Lewis Hamilton of Great Britain and Mercedes talks to the media within the Paddock throughout previews forward of the F1 Grand Prix of Australia at Albert Park Grand Prix Circuit on March 30, 2023 in Melbourne, Australia.
| Photo Credit: Getty Images
Lewis Hamilton Thursday applauded the hefty effective imposed on three-time Formula One champion Nelson Piquet for racist remarks concerning the British driver, saying folks “full of hate” shouldn’t be tolerated.
Piquet was fined US$945,000 final weekend for calling Hamilton “neguinho” (“little black”) in a 2021 interview.
In handing down its judgement, a courtroom in Brasilia dominated that the “intolerable” remarks constituted a “serious offence to the fundamental values of society”.
World champion in 1981, 1983 and 1987, Piquet used the time period whereas criticising Hamilton’s position in a conflict with Max Verstappen, his daughter Kelly’s boyfriend, on the British Grand Prix the identical 12 months.
Seven-time world champion Hamilton praised Brazil for its motion.
“I still believe that we generally shouldn’t be giving people that are just full of hate a platform,” he stated in Melbourne forward of the Australian Grand Prix on Sunday.
“I’d like to acknowledge the Brazil government, I think it’s pretty amazing what they’ve done in holding someone accountable, showing people that that is not tolerated.
“Racism and homophobia is just not acceptable, and there’s no place for it inside our society. So I really like that they’ve proven that they stand for one thing.”
Piquet, 70, was fined for “collective ethical damages” with the money being donated to groups fighting against discrimination.
He had issued an apology, saying his words were wrong but that he did not intend to offend.
However, the court was not convinced, ruling that “the absence of intention couldn’t justify discriminatory behaviour in direction of minorities”.
