Piquet gets fined heavily for racist remarks against Hamilton

Three-time F1 champion and father-in-law of Max Verstappen, Nelson Piquet, has been fined by the Brazilian court for racist and homophobic remarks against Lewis Hamilton.

Piquet made several racist and homophobic statements on the internet towards Hamilton in 2021. The Brazilian tried to defend himself, but was unsuccessful. The three-time world champion was met with rejoinders from Hamilton and the FIA and the rest of F1 world rallied behind the seven-time world champion.

A verdict has been handed down by the Brazilian court, according to Brazilian Globo.com, and Verstappen's father-in-law must pay a sum of five million Brazilian real. That translates to almost 780 thousand pounds. The Brazilian state is very concerned about Piquet's statements and says the money will be used to combat discrimination in the country.

The amount of the fine was determined partly on the basis of the driver's stature. Piquet is a leading name in Brazil not only in sport. Piquet also supported President Jair Bolsonaro's election campaigns and thus carries a broad voice with more responsibility. The court ruled that the fine for Piquet's offensive statements should be 10 times the possible cash support for Bolsonaro in 2022.