A Brazilian judge ordered an investigation be opened into allegations that retired Formula 1 driver Nelson Piquet used racist and homophobic slurs about Lewis Hamilton.
The 69-year-old Piquet made the comments in interviews filmed in November, which only came to wider attention late in June.
After the second excerpt was published, Piquet told Motorsport Magazine during the Le Mans classic that the outrage about his comments is irrelevant: “There is nothing, nothing I said wrong.
“And I don’t really care, it doesn’t disturb my life. I am here with my friends, we are having fun, that’s it,” added the three times F1 World Champion.
The charges in his homeland were brought by four human rights groups, which want three-time world champion Piquet to pay 10 million Brazilian reals ($1.86 million) for allegedly causing moral damage to Black and LGBTQ people.
Piquet, who did not reply to a request for comment from The Associated Press, will have 15 days to state his case to judge Felipe Costa da Fonseca Gomes of the Distrito Federal court.
His repulsive comments, made in Portuguese while discussing a crash between seven-time champion Hamilton and Max Verstappen during last year’s British Grand Prix, have been widely condemned by F1 drivers, teams, and the sport’s governing body.
An F1 legend who grenaded his own legacy buy being stupid and arrogant
Piquet referred to Hamilton as “neguinho” in Portuguese, which means “little Black guy.” The term is not necessarily a racist slur in Brazil, but it is an expression that is increasingly seen as distasteful, and its phrasing can also emphasize that.
Piquet initially apologized to Hamilton, saying the term was “ill-thought out” and not meant to be offensive. He added “neguinho” can be used as a short for “people in general.”
But a second excerpt of the same video, published July 1 by website Grande Prêmio, left little doubt that Piquet he was singling out Hamilton as “the little Black guy,” to which he added a homophobic slur.
The Brazilian used homophobic language to say the British driver wasn’t focused to challenge Mercedes teammate Nico Rosberg for the 2016 title.
Formula One Management distanced itself from one of its great drivers of the past by declaring him persona non-grata in the paddock, ending the occasions Piquet was involved in Grand Prix weekends as an MC or handing out trophies.
From a forgotten and little liked F1 legend, out of obscurity Piquet vilified himself in the eyes of many motorsport fans, rendering himself as one of the most unpopular drivers ever despite his magnificent achievements at the highest level. A legacy that self-destructed.