Nelson Piquet Fined $950,000 for Racist Outburst Against Lewis Hamilton

The look of a man that has to pay $950,000 in fines.

Last summer, Formula 1, the FIA and the Mercedes F1 team were outraged after ex-world champion Nelson Piquet went on a racist and homophobic rant about seven-time champion Lewis Hamilton. Now, the Brazilian racer has been fined $950,000 after four human rights groups took him to court over the outburst.

In case you missed it:

• Consumer Reports’ 18 Most Satisfying New Vehicles to Own

• Tesla Sells Out of Steering Wheels as Owners Rush to Replace Yokes

• AWD RX-7 vs. Trackhawk, GR Yaris-Powered AE86: The Best Automotive Videos on YouTube This Week

The former F1 racer appeared on a Brazilian podcast, where he used a “racially offensive expression in Portuguese” while discussing Hamilton’s career and his performances in the 2021 F1 season.

Read more

• These Are Your Guilty Pleasure Cars

• The 15 Most Successful Formula 1 Cars of All Time

• These Cars Should Never Have Been Killed Off

At the time, Piquet’s language was condemned by Formula 1, which called the outburst “unacceptable” and said that the Brazilian’s use of racist language had “no part in society.”

Despite efforts to apologize for his remarks, and claims that his words were “mistranslated,” Piquet has been taken to court by four human rights groups over his use of such language, as the Associated Press reports: