In an interview in November 2021, Piquet used a racial slur, referring to the seven-time world champion, when commenting on Hamilton's British Grand Prix crash with Max Verstappen. Piquet's daughter Kelly is the partner of Hamilton's rival, Verstappen.
"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," he said at the time.
"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."But a Brazilian court disagreed and has ruled he must pay five million Brazilian reals in"moral damages" for the comments.
Hamilton, who was awarded honorary Brazilian citizenship last June, is the sport's only black driver.In his decision, Judge Pedro Matos de Arrudo said the amount of compensation was given"in the sense that one should not only appreciate the reparative function of civil liability but also the punitive function so that, as a society, we can someday be free from the pernicious acts that are racism and homophobia".
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