World champion Max Verstappen insists Nelson Pique is not a racist and believes it is wrong to be kicked out of Formula One.
Verstappen, whose girlfriend Kelly Pique is the daughter of Brazil’s three-time world champion, also claims that the insulting remarks – which overshadowed the accumulation of the British Grand Prix this weekend – were excessive.
Pique, 69, apologized to Hamilton on Wednesday, but said the term he used to describe the British pilot’s collision on the first lap with Verstappen in Silverstone last year had been incorrectly translated.
“Everyone is against racism and I think that’s very right,” Verstappen said. “The wording used was incorrect.
“But I spent some time with Nelson, more than the average person, and he’s definitely not a racist. He is actually a very nice, calm person.
“It’s not about the n-word, it’s about using offensive language in general.
Formula One world champion Max Verstappen insisted Nelson Pique (pictured above) was not a racist
Verstappen believes that Pique’s ban, despite his racial insult to Lewis Hamilton, is wrong
He Stained Verstappen: Pique’s Comments on Hamilton
Nelson Pique described the incident as a “joke” in the podcast and said Hamilton was “lucky” that Verstappen was just crashing.
He told Motorsport Talks: “The negro put the car in the wrong way and did not allow it [the other driver swerve].
“The negro put the car in the wrong corner of the corner because you don’t know the turn.
“It’s a very high curve, you can’t pass two cars and you can’t put the car aside.
‘He did it [Verstappen] dirty. His luck was that only the other was gone.
“But he doesn’t need me to tell him what’s right and what’s wrong.
“He has already said in his statement that he used the wrong words.
“This can be interpreted in two ways, people perceive the bad side and then, of course, it really becomes disproportionate.”
Understandably, Pique, who won the World Cup in 1981, 1983 and 1987, will not be welcomed back into the paddock.
Earlier Thursday, the British Racing Drivers’ Club, which owns Silverstone, announced it was suspending Piquet’s membership with a view to ending their association at a board meeting next week.
The statement reads: “In view of the BRDC’s zero tolerance policy for any action involving or inciting racism, the BRDC board concluded that Mr Piquet Sr. used racially abusive language to describe a member of the BRDC (and a seven-time world champion) is unacceptable and constitutes conduct that is completely inappropriate for an honorary member of the BRDC, despite his subsequent apology.
“Accordingly, we have informed Mr Pique Sr. that his membership has been suspended immediately.
Pique apologized for the humiliating remark directed at Hamilton, but said it had been mistranslated.
The former driver was discussing an incident between Verstappen of Red Bull and Hamilton, pictured at the British Grand Prix last year, when they collided on the first lap.
“Following the club’s legal process, the board is expected to terminate Mr. Pique Sr.’s membership at a board meeting, which will take place after the required seven-day notice period.”
But Verstappen, who has a 46-point lead in the championship, added: “It’s better to start a conversation than to ban. When you ban people, you don’t even help the situation.
– You do not talk. You have to communicate and communication is really important. You are trying to educate people, so it is better to talk and these things can be easily resolved.
“When you argue and insult someone, you talk, you apologize. It’s exactly the same.
Verstappen says it’s “better to start a conversation” than to stop Pique from entering the paddock
Hamilton described the insult as “archaic” and also insisted that “the time for action has come”
“Things can be easily forgotten – as long as you learn from your mistake and the word you used. I don’t think you should be banned by the paddock. Especially not a three-time world champion.
Asked if he had spoken to Pique, the 24-year-old Dutch driver replied: “It’s not up to me to talk to my father-in-law.
“For each of you, you’re not going to call and say, ‘Hey, man, that’s not right.’ He knows that himself.
Questioning Senna’s sexuality and upsetting Mansel and his wife: Pique’s previous controversies
The former Pique driver previously made a series of unpleasant comments about his fellow Formula 1 drivers.
He publicly questioned Ayrton Senna’s sexuality during a fight between them and called his rival the “Sao Paulo taxi driver.”
He also made insulting comments about Nigel Mansel and the Briton’s wife when they were teammates at Williams.
The Brazilian gave a scandalous interview to Playboy about his then teammate, calling Mansel an “uneducated drummer”.
Pique also resorted to humiliating insults to Mansel’s wife, for which he later apologized when he was threatened with a lawsuit.
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