LONDON: Lewis Hamilton said the “time has come for action” after being the subject of a racially offensive term used by three-time Formula One world champion Nelson Piquet.
Formula One and motorsport’s governing body the FIA condemned the 69-year-old Brazilian, who made the comments during a podcast.
“It’s more than language,” Hamilton tweeted. “These archaic mindsets need to change and have no place in our sport.
“I’ve been surrounded by these attitudes and targeted my whole life. There has been plenty of time to learn. Time has come for action.”
In a separate tweet, Hamilton posted in Portuguese: “Let’s focus on changing the mindset.”
Piquet, who won the world title in 1981, 1983 and 1987, was discussing an accident between Hamilton and Red Bull’s Max Verstappen on the first lap of last year’s British Grand Prix when he used the term.
His daughter, Kelly, is Verstappen’s partner.
“Discriminatory or racist language is unacceptable in any form and has no part in society,” Formula One said in a statement.
“Lewis is an incredible ambassador for our sport and deserves respect.
“His tireless efforts to increase diversity and inclusion are a lesson to many and something we are committed to at F1.”
In a statement, the FIA said: “The FIA strongly condemns any racist or discriminatory language and behavior, which have no place in sport or wider society.
“We express our solidarity with Lewis Hamilton and fully support his commitment to equality, diversity and inclusion in motor sport.”
Hamilton, the only black driver on the grid, has been an outspoken campaigner for greater diversity in the sport.
The seven-time world champion regularly displayed “black lives matter” on his apparel and took the knee before races in the 2020 season following the murder of George Floyd in the USA.
Hamilton has also campaigned for LGBTQ+ rights and on environmental issues.
“We condemn in the strongest terms any use of racist or discriminatory language of any kind,” Mercedes, Hamilton’s team, said in a statement.
“Lewis has spearheaded our sport’s efforts to combat racism, and he is a true champion of diversity on and off track.
“Together, we share a vision for a diverse and inclusive motorsport, and this incident underlines the fundamental importance of continuing to strive for a brighter future.”
Hamilton is back in action on home soil this weekend for the British Grand Prix at Silverstone.
Hamilton calls for action after Piquet’s racist slur
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Hamilton calls for action after Piquet’s racist slur
- Lewis Hamilton: ‘These archaic mindsets need to change and have no place in our sport’
- Nelson Piquet’s daughter, Kelly, is Max Verstappen’s partner
Sabalenka to skip events in 2026 to prioritize her health
- “The season is definitely insane, and that’s not good for all of us, as you see so many players getting injured“
Aryna Sabalenka expects to skip events again this year rather than put her health at risk over the course of an “insane” season, even though she knows she is likely to be sanctioned by the WTA Tour for doing so, the world number one said.
Top players are obliged to compete in all four Grand Slams, 10 WTA 1000 tournaments and six WTA 500 events under WTA rules, with the punishment for missing them ranging from rankings points deductions to fines.
In 2025, Sabalenka competed in just three WTA 500 events — Brisbane, Stuttgart and Berlin — making her one of a number of high-ranked players, including world number two Iga Swiatek, to be docked ranking points.
Asked if she would change her plans for 2026, the four-times Grand Slam champion told reporters: “The season is definitely insane, and that’s not good for all of us, as you see so many players getting injured ...
“The rules are quite tricky with mandatory events, but I’m still skipping a couple events in order to protect my body, because I struggled a lot last season,” the Belarusian said after beating Sorana Cirstea at the Brisbane International.
“Even though the results were really consistent, some of the tournaments I had been playing completely sick or I’ve been really exhausted from overplaying. This season we will try to manage it a little bit better, even though they are going to fine me by the end of the season.
“But it’s tricky to do that. You cannot skip 1000 events. It’s really tricky, and I think that’s insane what they do. I think they just follow their interests, but they’re not focusing on protecting all of us.”
The men’s and women’s circuits have faced criticism due to their 11-month seasons, and both tours came under fresh scrutiny during the “Asian swing” toward the end of last year with injuries piling up.
In September, the WTA told Reuters that athlete welfare is a top priority and that it had listened to views on the calendar, both through the players’ council and their representatives on the WTA board, to improve the circuit structure in 2024 and boost compensation.
