Nelson Piquet Faces the Consequences of His Actions Against Lewis Hamilton as $1.9 Million Penalty Looms Over

Lewis Hamilton has experienced a lot of slanders in his life. But a former World Champion calling him out using a discriminatory language was certainly shocking for many. Nevertheless, the Brazilian former driver, Nelson Piquet, will face a legal battle for his inappropriate references to the 7-time world champion.

Nelson Piquet, a 3-time world champion himself, had used a racial slur against Lewis Hamilton in a 2021 interview. Based on those statements, the F1 community had shown a lot of outrage towards the Brazilian’s comments. The British Driver’s Club suspended his membership along with Formula 1 banning the former driver from the paddock.

The Justice of Brasilia has notified Piquet of the accusations of the discriminatory language against Hamilton. The court will prosecute Piquet and if he gets convicted, he will have to pay $1.9 million (10 million BRL) as a penalty for collective moral damages and social damages.

Back in 2021, Lewis Hamilton reacted to Nelson’s comments and expressed his displeasure on Twitter. Lewis said, “these archaic mindsets need to change and have no place in our sport. I’ve been surrounded by these attitudes and targeted my whole life. There has been plenty of time to learn. Time has come for action.”

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As Hamilton stated, there is a lot of toxicity on social media that demeans several drivers. Though this is a major issue, many drivers have raised beside the Briton.

Lewis Hamilton and Max Verstappen United Against Social Media Abuse

Max Verstappen has also been on the receiving end of several hateful comments on social media in the last 2 seasons. While he has tussled with Lewis Hamilton tooth and nail for the 2021 title, many people have demeaned his accomplishment.

Talking to the media earlier in the season, Verstappen spoke about the hate speech on social media. He termed the people involved in spreading such comments as “keyboard warriors”.

Upon this, even Hamilton addressed how it is appalling to read some of the hurtful comments by people. Lewis believes that it is important for the media to keep us safe, especially women and young kids.

Eventually, the FIA has taken a step toward implementing an AI algorithm for eliminating hate speech and abuse on online platforms. The AI partner, Arwen AI, will help F1 eliminate all kinds of abuses and hates on online platforms.

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In essence, it is our responsibility too, along with the drivers, to maintain the harmony of the sport. It will be better to discourage any hateful behavior towards individuals and teams working for the sport. With F1 getting loads of new fans, it is the right time to eradicate such vices that put F1 in disrepute.