Verstappen, whose girlfriend Kelly Pique is the daughter of the Brazilian three-time world champion, also claimed that the insulting comments – which overshadowed the rally at this weekend’s British Grand Prix – were unacceptable. Pique, 69, apologized to Hamilton on Wednesday, but said the term – which he used when describing the British driver’s first lap collision with Verstappen at Silverstone last year – was mistranslated. “Everyone is against racism and I think that is very clear,” Verstappen said. “The wording used was incorrect. “But I have spent some time with Nelson, more than the average person, and he is definitely not a racist. He’s really a very good, relaxed guy. This is not the word “n”, it is about the use of offensive language in general. F1 world champion Max Verstappen insists Nelson Piquet (pictured above) is not a racist Verstappen believes Piquet’s ban, despite his racial strife against Lewis Hamilton, is wrong
‘It made Verstappen dirty’: Pique comments on Hamilton
Nelson Piquet described the incident as “funny” on the podcast and said Hamilton was “lucky” that Verstappen just crashed. He told Motorsport Talks: “Neguinho put the car in the wrong way and did not leave it. [the other driver swerve]. “Neguinho put the car in the wrong corner, it ‘s because you do not know the curve. “It is a very high curve, there is no way to pass two cars and you can not leave the car aside. He did it [Verstappen] bromic. It was his luck that only the other one left “. “But I do not need to tell him what is right and what is wrong. “He has already said in his statement that he used the wrong words. “It can be interpreted in two ways, people perceive the bad side, and then, of course, it becomes really disproportionate.” It goes without saying that Pique, who won the World Cup in 1981, 1983 and 1987, will not be welcomed back into the yards. Earlier Thursday, Britain’s Silverstone racing club announced it was suspending Piquet’s bid to end the union at a board meeting next week. A statement said: “In view of the BRDC’s zero-tolerance policy towards any act involving or implying racism, the BRDC Board concluded that Mr Piquet Sr used racist language to describe a fellow BRDC member (and seven-time world champion) is unacceptable and represents behavior that is completely inappropriate for an Honorary Member of the BRDC, despite his subsequent apology. “We have therefore informed Mr Piquet Sr that his membership has been suspended immediately. Pique apologizes for Hamilton’s derogatory remarks, but says it was mistranslated The former driver was discussing an incident between Red Bull Verstappen and Hamilton, pictured at the British Grand Prix last year, when they collided in the first lap. “Following the due process of the Club, it is expected that the Board of Directors will terminate the participation of Mr. Piquet Sr in a meeting of the Board of Directors which will take place after the required seven-day notice period.” But Verstappen, who has a 46-point lead in the league, added: “It is better to start a debate than to ban it. When you ban people, you are not really helping the situation. “You are not talking. You need to communicate and communication is very important. You are trying to educate people, so it is better to have a conversation and these things can be solved easily. “When you fight and insult someone, you chat, you apologize. It’s exactly the same. Verstappen says it is “better to start a conversation” instead of banning Piquet from the mantra Hamilton described the insult as “archaic” and also insisted that “it is time for action”. “Things can easily be forgotten – as long as you learn from your mistake and the word you used. I do not think they should forbid you from the mantra. Especially not three times world champion “. Asked if he had spoken to Pique, the 24-year-old Dutch driver replied: “It is not up to me to talk to my father-in-law. “None of you, right, are going to call and say, ‘Oh, man, that’s not right.’ He knows that too. “
Challenging Senna’s sexuality and upsetting Mansell and his wife: Piquet’s previous controversies
Former racing driver Piquet has in the past made a number of nasty comments about his fellow F1 drivers. He publicly questioned the sexuality of Ayrton Senna at the time they were arguing with each other and called his opponent “the taxi driver of Sao Paulo”. He also made insulting remarks about Nigel Mansell and the Briton’s wife when they were teammates at Williams. The Brazilian gave a famous Playboy interview about his then teammate, calling Mansell an “uneducated blockhead”. Pique also resorted to derogatory insults to Mansell’s wife, which he later apologized for when legal action was threatened.
