Lewis Hamilton has received a message of support from Manchester United defender Raphael Varane after three-time F1 world champion Nelson Piquet used a racist term to describe the Mercedes ace during an interview. Piquet made his comments last November as he spoke about Hamilton’s clash with Max Verstappen at the Silverstone Grand Prix. And they were broadcast by Brazilian media on Monday night.
“There is no place for racism in any sport, industry or walk of life,” Varane wrote on Twitter in support of Hamilton. “Lewis, continue to shine the great light that you do. I stand with you.” The France international’s post had been liked over 11,000 times and retweeted by over 1,000 people in less than 45 minutes as sports fans across the world came together to show their support for the F1 icon.
And there have also been suggestions Piquet could now been banned from the F1 paddock unless he publicly apologises to Hamilton.
“The neguinho put the car in the wrong way and didn’t let [the other driver swerve],” Piquet said in Portuguese during an interview with Motorsport Talk’s Ricardo Oliveira. “The neguinho put the car in the wrong way on the corner – it’s because you don’t know the curve.
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And the FIA wrote: “The FIA strongly condemns any racist or discriminatory language and behaviour, 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.”
Meanwhile, Mercedes wrote: “We condemn in the strongest terms any use of racist or discriminatory language of any kind,” it read. “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.”
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