At the Qatar GP last weekend, Lewis Hamilton collided with his teammate George Russell on the first lap of the race. Going into Turn 1, he was slightly ahead of Russell but was a little too close. The two made contact, and Hamilton’s race was over then and there. While many compared this incident to what happened at the 2016 Spanish GP between Hamilton and Nico Rosberg, a quite similar-looking incident happened in 2021. That year marked the beginning of another explosive rivalry like Hamilton and Rosberg’s. It was Max Verstappen versus Lewis Hamilton.

With tensions between the two building up throughout the year, the first place everything blew over was at the British GP. Verstappen was on pole, and Hamilton was in P2. Right off the line, the rivals were neck and neck up until Copse corner, where Hamilton was on the inside and clipped Verstappen, who torpedoed into the gravel. That’s where Nelson Piquet’s Hamilton humiliation saga began.

Nelson Piquet is not in Lewis Hamilton’s good books

Nelson Piquet is closely related to Max Verstappen. The Dutchman is dating his daughter, Kelly Piquet. So when the former driver and three-time champion discussed the British GP incident, he sided with Verstappen. Piquet commented that Hamilton played dirty, calling him a ‘negrito’, a racial slur that can be translated to ‘n****r.’ In a later interview on a podcast, Piquet used racist and homophobic language against Hamilton for missing out on the 2016 championship to Rosberg.

After the clips came out, Hamilton called for action to change the “archaic mindset” people still have. Many human rights groups brought Piquet’s comments to light in Brazilian courts. In March 2023, the court ordered Nelson Piquet to pay a compensation of $950,000. In May, he had an appeal denied. Now, a new development in court may come as a huge blow to Hamilton, especially considering he’s been working toward inclusivity, equality, and diversity for a long time. 

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As per a tweet, “The Federal District Court of Justice overturned Nelson Piquet’s conviction for racism against Lewis Hamilton. The case’s rapporteur, Aiston Henrique de Sousa, stated that Piquet made a “mockery” but without hate speech.” [Translated by Google] Piquet appealed earlier that his comments were misinterpreted. The court seems to have accepted that and overturned the conviction. The Brazilian court sided with the Brazilian rather than the honorary Brazilian.

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Needless to say, Hamilton will not be happy with how the case has progressed, especially after his comments following the initial conviction.

Lewis Hamilton may have spoken too soon

After the racist and homophobic comments came to light, Hamilton knew something had to be done. He knew there needed to be some change in mindset after Piquet’s humiliating remarks. When the case was brought to court, its judgment left Hamilton pleasantly surprised. As reported by The Hindu, In handing down its judgment, a court in Brasilia ruled that the “intolerable” remarks constituted a “serious offense to the fundamental values of society.” Considering this was right before the Australian GP, Hamilton gave his thoughts on the judgment during the weekend. 

Hamilton said, “I think back when it happened I made comments on it. I think I still believe that we generally shouldn’t be giving people who are just full of hate a platform. 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 are not acceptable, and there is no place for it within our society. So I love that they’ve shown that they stand for something. I wish that more governments out there would do that.”

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Thinking back to these statements now, Lewis Hamilton may be disappointed. As an honorary Brazilian citizen, this would hurt even more. What do you think? Were Nelson Piquet’s comments, in fact, meant the way they were interpreted?