Following on from racially abusing Lewis Hamilton on a podcast last November, the BRDC have released a statement regarding Nelson Piquet Sr. A clip of a Brazilian podcast recorded in 2021 has resurfaced recently, where Piquet referred to the seven-time World Champion as the n-word.
The clip has caused anger throughout the Formula 1 paddock, with a number of teams and drivers jumping in to demonstrate their support for Hamilton. Ahead of this weekend’s British Grand Prix, the BRDC have had their say on the situation. Piquet is an Honorary Member of the BRDC, however, this is set to be revoked.
An official statement from the BRDC said:
“The BRDC Board of Directors has noted that, in a Brazilian podcast last November, Nelson Piquet Senior, an Honorary Member of the BRDC, described Lewis Hamilton using a racially offensive expression in Portuguese. The apology issued yesterday by Mr Piquet Sr has also been noted.
“In view of the BRDC’s zero-tolerance policy towards any act involving or suggesting racism, the BRDC Board has concluded that Mr Piquet Sr’s use of racially offensive language to describe a fellow BRDC member (and 7-times World Champion) is unacceptable and represents conduct that is wholly inappropriate for an Honorary Member of the BRDC, notwithstanding his subsequent apology.
“Accordingly, we have advised Mr Piquet Sr that his membership has been suspended with immediate effect. Following the Club’s due process, it is anticipated that the Board will terminate Mr Piquet Sr’s membership at a board meeting to be held after the required 7-day notice period.”