F1 news: Bernie Ecclestone slammed for Vladimir Putin support, defends Nelson Piquet’s racial slur

Nelson Piquet faces further condemnation as more video emerged of him appearing to make more racist and homophobic comments.

Lewis Hamilton has been the victim of racist commentary from former F1 driver Nelson Piquet Picture: AFP

Nelson Piquet faced further widespread condemnation on Friday after further video evidence emerged revealing him using homophobic language to add to his earlier racist slurs against Lewis Hamilton.

Leading figures in Formula One at the British Grand Prix including Red Bull team chief Christian Horner, 2009 world champion Jenson Button and respected commentator Martin Brundle said they were “appalled” and “disgusted” by the latest Piquet revelations.

Watch Every Practice, Qualifying & Race of the 2022 FIA Formula One World Championship™ Live on Kayo. New to Kayo? Try 14-Days Free Now >

“We are appalled at Nelson’s comments from an interview from some time ago,” said Horner whose team dismissed reserve driver Estonian Juri Vips for using a similar expression earlier this week.

“We felt that actions sometimes talk louder than words -- and our action was draconian, but in line with our policy. We are fully behind Lewis, fully signed up to the Hamilton Commission.

“And Max (Verstappen) is absolutely clear, too, that he is fully supportive of Lewis and not just Lewis but against any form of racism or discrimination.”

Video has emerged of Nelson Piquet (R) appearing to make making racist and homophobic comments about Lewis Hamilton (L). Picture: AFP.

Three-time world champion Piquet had been banned from Formula One and suspended from his membership of the British Racing Drivers Club on Thursday when reports of his offensive language and racist slurs of Hamilton were first revealed.

But overnight social media posts, notably by Brazilian news channel Metropoles on Twitter, showed Piquet, 69, using vulgar homophobic terms in an insulting manner in a further attack on Hamilton.

Em novo vídeo, Nelson Piquet repete termo racista para se referir a Lewis Hamilton e faz ataque homofóbico ao britânico.

Trecho de entrevista gravada em novembro de 2021 foi divulgado pelo site Grande Prêmio na noite desta quinta-feira (30). pic.twitter.com/o76Ge0Snrx

— Metrópoles (@Metropoles) July 1, 2022

The Brazilian used the language, which prompted widespread outrage in defence of Hamilton on Thursday, during an interview discussion of Hamilton’s clash with Max Verstappen at last year’s British Grand Prix, for a podcast broadcast in Brazil last November.

Piquet’s daughter Kelly is Verstappen’s girlfriend, a connection that may have prompted his vehement attack on Hamilton following their Silverstone crash.

F1 bosses have issued statements in support of Lewis Hamilton. Picture: AFP.

In the new clip, Piquet attacks Hamilton and also insults Keke Rosberg, the 1982 champion, and his son Nico, who was Hamilton’s Mercedes team-mate and winner of the 2016 world championship.

According to one translation of the dialogue, Piquet said: “Keke? Was shit! Zero value. His son won the championship.” He then used a racist slur to describe Hamilton before saying he “was giving ass at that time. He was kinda bad”.

The interviewer and Piquet both laughed at these comments, which caused uproar in the Formula One paddock.

F1 SHAME: EX-BOSS’ SICK PUTIN CLAIM IN BIZARRE INTERVIEW

—Julian Linden

Ex-Formula One boss Bernie Ecclestone has been slammed for publicly supporting Russian president Vladimir Putin and the foul-mouthed father of Max Verstappen’s girlfriend who is at the centre of a racism row.

The 91-year-old Ecclestone, who once praised Nazi Germany leader Adolf Hitler as someone who was “able to get the job done”, is back in the firing line again for his outrageous defence of Putin for invading Ukraine.

In an interview on British television, Ecclestone described Putin as “a first-class person” who he would do anything for.

“I’d still take a bullet for him,” Ecclestone said.

“I’d rather it didn’t hurt, but if it did I’d still take a bullet for him.

Former F1 boss Bernie Ecclestone has been slammed for his support of Russian president Vladimir Putin. Picture: Helmut Fohringer/AFP

“He’s a first-class person. What he’s doing is something he believed is the right thing he was doing for Russia. Unfortunately, he’s like a lot of business people, like me, we make mistakes from time to time.”

Social media lit up with people calling for action to be taken against Ecclestone and F1’s current leaders responded by issuing a statement distancing him from motor sport, which read: “The comments made by Bernie Ecclestone are his personal views and are in very stark contrast to the position of the modern values of our sport.”

Pressed on why he was siding with Putin, Ecclestone claimed Ukraine president Volodymyr Zelensky was to blame for the war in his homeland — which has already claimed the lives of thousands of people — because he didn’t negotiate with the Russian leader.

“I think if he’d thought about things, he would have made a big enough effort to speak to Mr Putin, who is a sensible person and would have listened to him and probably would have done something about it,’ he said.

If that wasn’t enough, Ecclestone then took aim at Lewis Hamilton for calling out Nelson Piquet, the former Brazilian triple world champion who was caught on tape using the Portuguese version of the N-word in describing Hamilton.

Vladimir Putin and Beernie Ecclestone at the Russian Grand Prix in Sochi in 2015. Picture: Dan Istitene/Getty Images

Piquet is likely to be banned from attending F1 races despite issuing a grovelling apology after a videotape emerged of him referring to Hamilton as “the n-----” when he collided with Verstappen on the opening lap of last year’s British Grand Prix.

Piquet has since issued an apology, denying his comments were racist, and Ecclestone said Hamilton should let the matter rest.

“Knowing Nelson as I know him, as his daughter is the girlfriend of Max Verstappen, probably after seeing the accident, he probably exploded and carried that forward,” Ecclestone said.

“People say things ... if people happen to be a little bit overweight, or undersized like me, I’m quite sure a lot of people have made remarks about that. If I’d have heard it, I’d have been able to deal with it myself without too much trouble.

“I’m surprised Lewis hasn’t just brushed it aside. Or, better than that, replied. But he’s now come out and Nelson has apologised so everyone should be happy.”

F1 ban: Champ’s pitiful apology for racial slurs

Controversial motor racing legend Nelson Piquet could be banned from attending Formula One races despite issuing a grovelling apology after being caught racially abusing Lewis Hamilton.

Although there’s been no confirmation as yet, the BBC is reporting Piquet will be told he’s no longer welcome at races, starting with this weekend’s British Grand Prix at Silverstone.

News of the pending ban comes after a videotape emerged of Piquet using the Portuguese version of the N-word to describe the seven-time world champion.

Speaking in Portuguese in a podcast interview about last year’s British Grand Prix, Piquet twice referred to Hamilton as “neguinho” when describing his opening lap crash with Max Verstappen on the opening lap.

Speaking in Portuguese on a podcast, Brazillian Piquet Piquet twice referred to Hamilton as “neguinho” Picture: AFP

Piquet has come under intense pressure from F1 insiders including Lewis himself, who has called for meaningful action to be taken to stamp out racism in the sport.

Piquet - whose daughter Kelly is dating Verstappen - has since issued an apology to Hamilton, but denies his comments were racist.

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

“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 that is now circulating on social media is not correct. Discrimination has no place in F1 or society and I am happy to clarify my thoughts in that respect.”

Now 69, Piquet won three world drivers’ titles in the 1980s, but is a hugely divisive figure within the sport because of his history of making lewd comments about other drivers.

He once made derogatory comments about Aytron Senna, questioning his sexuality and joked he was a better driver than him because he wasn’t dead. Senna was killed in a high-speed crash in 1994.

Piquet made unsavoury remarks about Nigel Mansell and his wife when they were teammates at Williams and also took a swipe at Enzo Ferrari.

F1 bosses have already issued a statement in support of Hamilton, and are expected to follow that up with action against Piquet.

Originally published as F1 news: Bernie Ecclestone slammed for Vladimir Putin support, defends Nelson Piquet’s racial slur