According to sources in F1, Nelson Piquet has been banned from the F1 paddock as punishment for using a racial slur against Lewis Hamilton. Piquet has recently issued an apology for the British driver, but strongly condemns any suggestion that the word was used by him to belittle a driver because of his skin colour. Despite apologising, the three-time world champion will not be allowed back to the F1 paddock in the future ..read more

Nelson Piquet has issued an apology for the racial slur against Lewis Hamilton, claiming the media has mistranslated his words. “I would like to clear up the stories circulating in the media about a comment I made in an interview last year,” Said Piquet. “What said was ill thought out, and 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 never intended to offend. Would never use the word I have been accused of in some translations. I strongly condemn a ..read more

After Nelson Piquet's racial slur against Lewis Hamilton, Formula 1 drivers, athletes and public figures have sent the British driver strong messages of support and have addressed the issue on their social media platforms. Here are some of them: "Huge respect to LH," said George Russell. "He has done more for the sport than any driver in history, not just on the track but off it. The fact that he and so many others are STILL having to deal with this behaviour is unacceptable. We all need to stand together against discrimination of any kind." "Knowing Lewis Hamilton since I arrived in Formula ..read more

Seven-time world champion Lewis Hamilton has responded to Nelson Piquet's racial slur against him, saying "archaic mindsets need to change" and have no place in Formula 1. "It’s more than language," said Hamilton. "These archaic mindsets need to change and have no place in our sport. I’ve been surrounded by these attitudes and targeted my whole life. There has been plenty of time to learn. Time has come for action." The 69-year-old Brazilian used a racist term to refer to Hamilton in an interview that took place in November 2021, while discussing the accident between the British driver and Ma ..read more

In an interview which took place in 2021, three-time world champion Nelson Piquet used racist language to describe Lewis Hamilton when commenting on his collision with Max Verstappen at last year's British Grand Prix. Although the interview was in November, it was recently surfaced online, with Formula 1 condemning Piquet's language. "Discriminatory or racist language is unacceptable in any form and has no part in society. Lewis is an incredible ambassador for our sport and deserves respect. His tireless efforts to increase diversity and inclusion are a lesson to many and something we are com ..read more

AlphaTauri has confirmed Pierre Gasly as part of its line-up for the 2023 Formula 1 season after questions were raised over his future following Red Bull's decision to extend Sergio Perez's contract until the end of 2024. The announcement, however, does not come as a surprise after AlphaTauri team principal Franz Tost has '100% confirmed' that Gasly will race for the team in 2023, saying: “He has a valid contract." "The 26-year-old Frenchman has been with us since 2017 and this continuity will be a great asset, as he enjoys an excellent working relationship with his group of engineers and eve ..read more

Charles Leclerc will start the Canadian Grand Prix from the back of the grid after taking new power unit elements. The Monegasque driver was already set to take a 10-place grid penalty as the result of taking new control electronics on his F1-75, following his retirement from last weekend's Azerbaijan Grand Prix due to a "beyond repair" power unit. However, on Saturday morning during Free Practice 3, it was confirmed that Leclerc will take several other components for the remainder of the weekend. As a result of running an internal combustion engine, MGU-H, MGU-K and turbocharger, the Ferrari ..read more

F1 confirms Australian Grand Prix to remain in Melbourne until at least 2035 Melbourne has extended its contract to host the Formula 1 Australian Grand Prix for 13 more years despite Sydney’s attempt to snatch the race. With the 10-year extension to the current deal, Melbourne will extend the race’s stay on the calendar to nearly 40 years since its debut in 1996. "The race has always been a favourite for the fans, drivers and the teams, and Melbourne is an incredible and vibrant international city that is a perfect match for our sport. This year we saw huge crowds and passionate fans at the G ..read more

On Thursday (9), Sir Lewis Hamilton was made an honorary citizen of Brazil as the lower house of parliament passed a bill on the matter. The initiative had been proposed by congressman Andre Figueiredo after the 2021 Brazilian Grand Prix, at which the British driver imitated the gesture of his idol, Ayrton Senna, by waving the Brazilian flag after crossing the checkered flag at Sao Paulo’s Interlagos circuit. Seven-time Formula One world champion indicated his approval of a bid to make him an honorary Brazilian citizen when he visited Sao Paulo in April to deliver a keynote speech at an event ..read more

Formula 1 says it is racing towards its target of making the sport net-zero carbon by 2030 following the announcement of new branding to promote the environmental drive from the British Grand Prix onwards. In 2019, Formula 1 announced its aim to be net-zero carbon by 2030 as part of the sport’s wider sustainability strategy and made huge strides towards its goal since then. WHAT HAS BEEN DONE: Formula 1 highlighted the work that has been done since the launch of the Net Zero campaign back in 2019, with a press release confirming: In the past three years, F1 has introduced remote broadcast op ..read more