Lewis Hamilton on Nelson Piquet Racial Slur: Older F1 Voices Shouldn’t Have Platform

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Lewis Hamilton believes Formula One should embrace a younger generation following the news of former driver Nelson Piquet using a racial slur to describe Hamilton, per ESPN’s Nate Saunders:

“If we’re looking to grow in the U.S. and other countries, South Africa, and grow our audience and look into the future and give younger people a platform that is more representative of today’s time and who we are trying to be and the direction we are going. It’s not just about one individual, it’s not just about one use of that term—it’s the bigger picture.”

[…]

“These old voices … whether they’re subconscious or consciously … do not agree people like me should be in a sport like this, do not agree women should be here.”

“I don’t know why we are continuing to give these older voices a platform,” Hamilton said, noting that Piquet’s comments were “nothing really particularly new for me.”

The reaction comes after Piquet, 69, used a Brazilian Portuguese racial slur during a podcast last November. He was criticizing Hamilton after a collision with Max Verstappen, who is dating Piquet’s daughter.

Piquet apologized in a statement Wednesday after his comments came to light, but Formula One has banned him from visiting the paddock, per Saunders.

This article will be updated soon to provide more information and analysis.

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