Lewis Hamilton praises Brazil for fining Piquet over racist comments
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\Piquet was fined US$945,000 last weekend for calling Hamilton "neguinho" in a 2021 interview.
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Mercedes' Lewis Hamilton celebrates after qualifying in pole position in the Turkish Grand Prix, Istanbul, Turkey, October 9, 2021 (Reuters)
Lewis Hamilton on Thursday applauded the hefty fine imposed on three-time Formula One champion Nelson Piquet for racist remarks about the British driver, saying people "full of hate" should not be tolerated.
Piquet was fined US$945,000 last weekend for calling Hamilton "neguinho" ("little black") in a 2021 interview.
In handing down its judgment, a court in Brasilia ruled that the "intolerable" remarks constituted a "serious offense to the fundamental values of society."
World champion in 1981, 1983, and 1987, Piquet used the term while criticizing Hamilton's role in a clash with Max Verstappen, his daughter Kelly's boyfriend, at the British Grand Prix the same year.
Seven-time world champion Hamilton praised Brazil for its action.
"I still believe that we generally shouldn't be giving people that are just full of hate a platform," he said in Melbourne ahead 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," Hamilton expressed.
Piquet, 70, was fined for "collective moral 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 could not justify discriminatory behavior toward minorities."
Read more: F1's Lewis Hamilton speaks on 'traumatizing' racism in UK schools
