Nelson Piquet banned from F1 paddocks after his racist comments on Lewis Hamilton - Reports

It does appear that Nelson Piquet's comments on Lewis Hamilton will have further repercussions as the former Brazilian F1 driver could be facing a permanent ban from the paddock. According to multiple media outlets, Piquet, who was found guilty of using the "N-Word" while referring to Hamilton in an interview last year, will not be permitted to return to the paddock.

What was the controversial quote?

In an episode of the Brazilian motorsport podcast Motorsport Talk last year, while talking about the incident between Max Verstappen and Lewis Hamilton at the 2021 British GP, Nelson Piquet, in one of his quotes, used the "N-word" to describe Hamilton. He allegedly said:

“The little n****r [Lewis Hamilton] put the car in and left because there was no way to pass two cars on that corner. He made a joke. Lucky for him, only the other one [Max Verstappen] got f****d up.”

The quote resurfaced this week and caused a social media upheaval as teams and drivers alike jumped to the defense of the Mercedes driver.

---

Nelson Piquet's public apology to Lewis Hamilton!

In an official statement released by Nelson Piquet, he clarified that the "N-Word" has been used colloquially in Brazilian Portuguese while referring to a "Person" or a "Guy". Regardless, in his statement, the former F1 driver apologized to Lewis Hamilton.

The statement read:

“I would like to clear up the stories circulating in the media about a comment I made in an interview last year.”

“What I said was ill thought out, and I make no defence for it, but I will clarify that the term used is one that has widely and historically been used colloquially in Brazilian Portuguese as a synonym for ‘Guy’ or ‘Person’ and was never intended to offend. I would never use the word I have been accused of in some translations. I strongly condemn any suggestion that the word was used by me with the aim of belittling a driver because of his skin colour.”

“I apologise wholeheartedly to anyone that was affected, including Lewis, who is an incredible driver, but the translation in some media is not correct. Discrimination has no place in F1 or society and I am happy to clarify my thoughts in that respect.”

As it turns out, an apology might not be enough as the 3-time former champion, if the reports are correct, could get banished from the paddock.