Nelson Piquet sentenced to pay a million dollars for a racist insult to Lewis Hamilton

The Brazilian Nelson Piquet, three-time Formula One world champion, was sentenced by a court in his country to pay five million reais (one million dollars) for a racist and homophobic comment against the British driver Lewis Hamilton.

Oliver Thansan
Oliver Thansan
25 March 2023 Saturday 07:26
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Nelson Piquet sentenced to pay a million dollars for a racist insult to Lewis Hamilton

The Brazilian Nelson Piquet, three-time Formula One world champion, was sentenced by a court in his country to pay five million reais (one million dollars) for a racist and homophobic comment against the British driver Lewis Hamilton. The 20th Civil Court of Brasilia imposed the payment of this compensation due to the "collective moral damages" caused by "the offenses committed" by Piquet against the seven-time F1 world champion, the court said in a note.

"The offenses perpetrated by the defendant affect not only the individual rights of the victim, but the values ​​of the entire community, particularly the black population and the LGBTQIA community," said Judge Pedro Matos de Arruda, author of the ruling. In the decision, for which appeal is possible, the magistrate ordered that the money be allocated "to funds for the promotion of racial equality and against discrimination of the LGBTQIA community."

The process began based on a lawsuit from various human rights associations, which alleged that Piquet, in an interview on a YouTube channel, in November 2021, "violated the fundamental collective right to honor of the black population and of the LGBTQIA community." During that interview, Piquet called Hamilton "neguinho" (little black man) and referred to him in a homophobic way.

"Keke (Rosberg)? He was shit. He had no value. Like his son (Nico Rosberg). He won a championship. The little black (for Hamilton) should have been giving more ass at that time and he was half bad, "said Piquet . The statements generated a strong controversy and a wave of condemnations in the entire field of Formula 1 that forced Piquet to apologize publicly shortly after.

The judge found, however, that Piquet's words are "discriminatory" and punishable. "On the occasions when he referred to the English pilot, the defendant always used the word 'neguinho' to criticize him, associating it with the period in which he was not performing well on the track or with behaviors that he considered incorrect," said the magistrate. .

"'Neguinho' is not an affectionate nickname, it is a reminder that the black is doing something wrong, that he is an inferior race. In this context, it is easy to understand that the use of 'neguinho' by the accused, a white person , to refer to the English black pilot is a discriminatory conduct with a pernicious meaning", he completed.

The judge also understood that Piquet associated homosexuality with a "negative characteristic" related to "incompetence". "The defendant's laughter immediately after reinforces the negative connotation of homosexuality, revealing a mocking tone," he noted in the ruling.