The Paper's reporter Chen Jun
F1 seven-time champion Hamilton was again subjected to racist remarks.
The 2022 F1 Grand Prix in the UK is about to kick off, but now the eyes are focused on the outside of the arena because of a discordant voice – the racist remarks of a veteran driver have been exposed, and the entire racing circle is in an uproar.
According to Brazilian media, in November last year, three-time F1 world champion and 69-year-old Brazilian driver Nelson Piquet lashed out at Hamilton's performance in the UK station in an interview, even with racist remarks.
"That little XX (racist) threw the car into the corner and then left it alone, the corner can't allow two cars to go side by side at the same time, he's a bit unruly. Luckily for him, though, only Verstappen skated off the track. ”
The word in Piquet's mouth is of Portuguese origin and is a contemptuous term for black people.
Nelson Piquet spoke ill of him.
Zhou Guanyu expressed solidarity with Hamilton
Although it has been a few months, because the new season of the British station is close at hand, when this past is turned over, it suddenly pushes Piquet to the cusp of the storm.
At the first time, F1 officials issued a statement in support of Hamilton, "Any form of discriminatory or racist language is unacceptable, it has nothing to do with the game." ”
"Hamilton is an outstanding representative of our sport and deserves respect and his tireless efforts have added diversity to F1 and also to inclusion. This is a lesson that we need to commit to, and there will be no more problems like this. ”
Zhou Guanyu posted.
In addition to the official statement, many teams and drivers have also joined the camp of solidarity with Hamilton, such as McLaren and Haas, while the drivers are Leclerc, Sainz, Russell, Latifi, Norris, etc., including Chinese driver Zhou Guanyu.
Zhou Guanyu wrote on social media: "I absolutely support hamilton and the entire racing community in responding to and countering this matter, and we need to fight against any form of racism, discrimination and prejudice. ”
It is worth mentioning that in this incident, the British media also deliberately mentioned Zhou Guanyu - they revealed that Zhou Guanyu had encountered discrimination on the racing track in the past, which made him feel a little lonely.
Hamilton and Zhou Guanyu communicate.
Hamilton has always been surrounded by discrimination
For Piquet's remarks, Hamilton himself responded at the moment.
He said on his personal social media: "Let's commit ourselves to changing this (racist) mentality! ”
Subsequently, he posted: "This is not just a matter of language and word use. These old mindsets need to change — blacks, for example, have no place in the sport. ”
"I've been surrounded by discrimination for years, and I'll spend my life eliminating racial discrimination." We have enough time to learn and improve our horizons, and now is the time to take action. ”
As Hamilton put it, while racial discrimination is resisted at a societal level, it never really goes far.
In terms of sports alone, at last year's European Championships, Saka, a black player from england's team, was verbally abused by extreme fans for giving up a penalty and was verbally abused by extreme fans, and he had to shut down his social media.
After that F1 Uk Grand Prix, Hamilton was surrounded by similar voices, and even the official account of the Mayben team was full of racist foul language.
Piquet is a three-time F1 world champion.
Why did Piquet speak ill of him?
But unlike extreme fans, Piquet has long been famous in racing circles and has long been considered a legendary figure in Brazilian history after the late driver Senna, why did he show so much in interviews?
Some media analysis shows that verstappen was directly affected by the accident at that time, and Piquet's daughter was verstappen's girlfriend - as a father-in-law, Piquet was deliberately recovering the field for his family.
Piquet's daughter is Verstappen's girlfriend.
Even so, Piquet's ugly behavior still can't find an excuse to be forgiven, if he only gives his own explanation of driving strategy, he will still be regarded as a respected senior driver, but full of racist words, you can only think that such terrible thoughts have long been rooted in Piquet's heart.
Buxton, a well-known F1 journalist, said: "The condemnation must be swift, there is no room for negotiation, he has no reason and excuse, it is not a matter of language, the word has only one translation and understanding, I have seen the clip of the interview ..."
Not long ago, Red Bull Racing's youth coach Wipps had just been punished by the team for using insulting black words in the live broadcast, and even kicked out of the youth camp, and now many righteous fans and netizens are calling for a strict ban on Piquet from entering the F1 scene again.
How the whole incident will develop next is still unknown - after all, Piquet is a long-retired driver, and it is difficult for F1 officials to punish them substantively as they do for active drivers, but the upcoming Uk station is destined to be shrouded in a cloud.
F1 officials need to set an example to show zero tolerance for racists to justify the sport.
Editor-in-Charge: Ascendas
Proofreader: Ding Xiao