Former Formula 1 world champion Nelson Piquet (70) has to dig deep into his pocket for his racist and homophobic derailments. A court in his native Brazil sentenced him on Friday to pay five million Brazilian reals (almost 900,000 euros).
The money should benefit the fight against racism and equality for the LGBTQ+ community and be distributed to appropriate funds.
Piquet racially insulted Formula 1 record world champion Lewis Hamilton in a scandalous interview from November 2021. He later apologized, but also tried to justify his choice of words. Later, a passage from the interview in which Piquet denigrated Hamilton in a homophobic context was made public.
Formula 1 then declared Piquet persona non grata, and four human rights groups also filed a complaint. The Brazilian has caused “moral damage” to black people and members of the LGBTQ+ community. The judge in charge saw it that way.
The statements are “intolerable. Especially when they come from such a famous and admired person,” the statement said. Piquet’s offense is directed against “the basic values of society”. It is now “fair” that by paying the fine he is helping his country to take action against discrimination.
