The Piquet name has come up quite frequently in the Formula 1 paddock lately. Most recently, it was because of Felipe Massa trying to claim the 2008 World Championship in light of ‘Crashgate’—a doctored crash by Nelson Piquet Jr. at the 2008 Singapore GP. Most popularly, though, it comes up in reference to Max Verstappen, whose girlfriend is Kelly Piquet—sister of Nelson Piquet Jr. and daughter of three-time champion Nelson Piquet. But it’s Nelson Piquet who’s stirred up the paddock most (not by his presence, because he’s now banned), especially after he racially abused seven-time champion Lewis Hamilton.

Piquet’s probable future son-in-law Verstappen and Hamilton were bitter rivals during the 2021 season, a rivalry that boiled over during the British GP after a first-lap collision between the championship contenders. While discussing the incident, Piquet commented that Hamilton played dirty, calling him with a racial slur that can be translated to ‘n****r.’ Many F1 figures supported Hamilton, but it wasn’t just the F1 community. Two-time world heavyweight champion Anthony Joshua looked out for Hamilton, too.

Anthony Joshua supports Lewis Hamilton and then gets defeated by Max Verstappen

When news about Piquet’s abuse directed at Hamilton broke, Joshua couldn’t help but support his compatriot. In an interview with The Sun, as quoted by express.co.uk, Joshua said, “It can happen to anyone, not just Lewis Hamilton. Imagine what it’s like for ordinary people who hear it. That’s where it’s really upsetting, and that’s why people start rallying and marching because it’s the people who are vulnerable that need to come together against these things.”

In a rather shocking turn of events—a year after supporting Hamilton—the boxing star headed to Zandvoort to hang out with Verstappen. F1 returned after a month-long summer break to resume the circus at the Dutch GP, Round 14 of the season. As Verstappen geared up for his home race, he got a visit from Joshua, whom EA Sports—the maker of the annual F1 game series—invited. In light of the recent release of F1 23, the two-world champions battled it out in the virtual world. 

In an interview with Sky Sports after the encounter, as quoted by talkSPORT, Joshua said, “EA invited us down, the F1 2023 edition has come out, so we were playing. Obviously, he beat me, but he gave me some tips, and we had a good time! It was to see what goes on behind the scenes and just to have a good time, really.” While Joshua learned a thing or two from losing to Verstappen, it was Hamilton who got him through a tough loss last year.

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Lewis Hamilton supported Anthony Joshua when he needed him most

In September 2021, Anthony Joshua went up against Oleksandr Usyk for the World Boxing Organization, World Boxing Association, and International Boxing Federation titles, losing out to the Ukrainian. In a rematch last August with the same titles on the line, the Brit lost out again by a 2-to-1 decision. Joshua wasn’t pleased with the result and angrily threw two of Usyk’s belts out of the ring. 

It was a tough loss for the heavyweight champion, but another world champion who has experience losing a title consoled him. Who was it? Lewis Hamilton. After the match, Hamilton posted a story on Instagram, writing, “The hard work and sacrifice is something nobody will be able to understand. The challenges in mind and spirit are monumental. I’m proud of you for all you put in, be proud of yourself. It’s not how we fall. It’s how we get up, and you will bounce back from this, brother. Keep your head up.”

What did you think of Anthony Joshua’s rendezvous with Max Verstappen? Has he changed allegiances from Lewis Hamilton to the Dutchman?

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