Max Verstappen’s girlfriend, Kelly Piquet, liked a social media post defending her father, Nelson, after a racist slur against Lewis Hamilton.
Former F1 champ Piquet, 69, used the N-word to describe Hamilton in an interview in Brazil last year, which surfaced on Tuesday while discussing the collision between him and Verstappen at the 2021 British Grand Prix.
The interview was recorded in Portuguese and the three-time Formula One champion used the derogatory term when referring to the British superstar, something for which he has now apologized.
Nelson’s relative Rodrigo tried to defend the former Brazilian driver with an eyebrow-raising post on Instagram.
He claimed that their “second grandmother” called all her family members the N-word, and even said that it is a word of “love.”
Nelson’s daughter and Verstappen’s girlfriend, Kelly, liked the post before a raft of comments slammed Rodrigo, who then seemingly set his account to private.
F1 chiefs are considering banning Nelson for life and have publicly backed Hamilton.
The seven-time world champion wrote on social media: “It’s more than language.
“These archaic mindsets need to change and have no place in our sport.
“I’ve been surrounded by these attitudes and targeted my whole life. There has been plenty of time to learn. Time has come for action.”
Piquet issued a groveling apology for what he says was an “ill thought out” comment.
A statement read: “What I said was ill thought out, and I make no defense 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.
“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 color.
“I apologize wholeheartedly to anyone that was affected, including Lewis, who is an incredible driver, but the translation in some media that is now circulating on social media is not correct.
“Discrimination has no place in F1 or society and I am happy to clarify my thoughts in that respect.”
The sport’s governing bodies have spoken out in support of Hamilton.
A statement from F1 said: “Discriminatory or racist language is unacceptable in any form and has no part in society.
“Lewis is an incredible ambassador for our sport and deserves respect. His tireless efforts to increase diversity and inclusion are a lesson to many and something we are committed to at F1.”
Mercedes said in a statement: “We condemn in the strongest terms any use of racist or discriminatory language of any kind.
“Lewis has spearheaded our sport’s efforts to combat racism, and he is a true champion of diversity on and off track.
“Together, we share a vision for a diverse and inclusive motorsport, and this incident underlines the fundamental importance of continuing to strive for a brighter future.”
Hamilton’s team-mate George Russell tweeted: “Huge respect to LH. He has done more for the sport than any driver in history, not just on track but off it.
“The fact that he and so many others are STILL having to deal with this behavior is unacceptable. We all need to stand together against discrimination of any kind.”
Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc also posted on Twitter, writing: “Knowing Lewis since I arrived in Formula One, he has always been extremely respectful to me and everyone that he meets.
“Those values should be the standard towards anybody around the world.
“The comments made towards Lewis should not be tolerated and we should continue to push for a more diverse and inclusive sport.
“We need to remove discriminatory behavior and racist language in any form from not just our sport, but our society as well.”
