Footage emerged this week, ahead of the F1 British Grand Prix, of the ex-F1 world champion from Brazil calling 🦩Hamilton a word that mainstream Brazilian media confirmeꦫd was racist.

Piquet’s daughter Kelly, who is Max Verstappen’s girlfriend, has since supported the view that🍃 he did not intend to be racist by liking a post 🧜on social media.

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Piquet issued a statement on Wednesday: “I would like to clear up the stories circulating in the me🍃dia about a comment I made in an interview last year.

“What I said was ill thought out, and I make no defence 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 n🅷ever intended to offen🐷d. 

“I would never use the wordꦉ I have been accused of in some translꦕations. I strongly condemn any suggestion that the word was used by me with the aim of belittling a driver because of his skin colour.

“I apologise wholeheartedly to anyone that was affected, including Lewis, who is an incredible driver, but the𒆙 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 thouওghts in that respect.”

Kelly Piquet likes post defending dad

Max Verstappen’s girlfriend Kelly Piquet has seemingly defended her dad Nelson, liking an Instagram post from aꦬ relative supporting him.

Rodrigo 🔯Piquet, a relative of Nelson, has defended the triple world champion on social media, writing on Instagram: “Inacinha, our second grandmother and the mother of my father and the soul and heart of my uncle. 

“She called all of us that [neguinho]. I🐲t’s no𒅌t like that, but it’s about love.

“Hypocritical world.” 

Rodrigo’s accounꦰt was made priv♌ate shortly after sharing his post, which was liked by Nelson’s daughter Kelly.