At Silverstone, Max Verstappen was bombarded with questions about his father-in-law Nelson Piquet, who is under fire after a racist statement against Lewis Hamilton. “He also understands that it was wrong.”
By Arjan Schouten
No, Max Verstappen has not had any contact with Nelson Piquet, the father of his girlfriend Kelly, after the media storm that arose this week. ,,I haven’t spoken to Nelson yet, no. Nor is it my place to call my father-in-law. Wouldn’t you too? Calling and saying ‘Hey man this wasn’t good’. I think he knows that now too. He doesn’t need me to tell you what’s right and what’s not.”
The Limburg world champion told it in the packed hospitality of Red Bull Racing where, of course, it was only about one thing, with the British press visiting en masse. The recently surfaced statement that three-time world champion Piquet made in an interview in Brazil at the end of last year. In it, looking back on last year’s controversial race at Silverstone, he called Lewis Hamilton a neguinhowhich can be translated as ‘blackie’.
After all the criticism, Piquet came yesterday already with a statementin which he apologized to anyone he had offended, but also tried to explain that the term can be used differently in Brazil.
Verstappen, about Piquet’s statement: ,,The word that was used, even though you have to deal with different cultures, was not correct. Let that also be a lesson for the future. You can use a word in different ways, but I think it’s better not to use it at all. It is in any case not correct to use insulting language, everyone is against racism, let that be clear.”
But according to Verstappen, the fact that his father-in-law is now being labeled racist is unjustified. “I spent a lot more time with him than most people. He is a nice and laid back guy. Not racist.”
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