His future father-in-law racially insults Lewis Hamilton, but Max Verstappen is silent. What the three-time world champion Nelson Piquet said last year outraged many drivers and caused excitement in Formula 1. Hamilton does not want to be irritated before his home race.
Max Verstappen is silent. The world champion of all things. So far not a word of sympathy or support from the Dutchman towards Lewis Hamilton, who has been racially abused by Nelson Piquet - father of Verstappen's partner Kelly Piquet. Nothing is heard from Verstappen, while other Formula 1 colleagues show solidarity with Hamilton.
"I've known Lewis since I've been in Formula 1, he's always been very respectful of me and everyone he's met," wrote Ferrari driver Charles Leclerc. "These values should be the standard for all people in the world. The comments made to Lewis should not be tolerated and we should remain committed to a more diverse and inclusive sport. We must end discriminatory behavior and racist language in any form, not just in sport , but also in our society," says the current third-placed driver.
Team Alpine's Esteban Ocon tweeted: "Enough is enough. (...) He has done so much for F1 on and off the track and we are proud to have him at the forefront of our fight for more diversity and inclusion in motorsport to be in front." Other teams and ex-pilots like Heinz-Harald Frentzen agreed with the statements.
The fact that Verstappen of all people is silent is quite explosive before Hamilton's home game at Silverstone this weekend (Sunday, 4 p.m. / Sky and in the ntv.de live ticker). After all, the memories of the controversial World Cup final in Abu Dhabi and the violent accident between the two title rivals at Silverstone last year are still fresh, and Verstappen even had to go to the hospital afterwards. And the crash was also the trigger for Piquet's derogatory comment, which has now become public.
After the derailment of Piquet, three-time world champion, Hamilton should only be more motivated to go to his home Grand Prix - if that's even possible. After the Mercedes stutter start, the 37-year-old is eager to show everyone again anyway. And that in Silverstone, only around 90 kilometers away from his birthplace Stevenage. In front of their own fans, hundreds of thousands are expected to attend the spectacle at the "Home of British Motor Racing" over the weekend.
"Silverstone is such an important race for me personally," said Hamilton recently: "I just want to be on an equal footing with them (Verstappen and Leclerc, editor's note)." "Sir Lewis" has already won the classic eight times, Red Bull team boss Christian Horner assumes that Mercedes Hamilton will screw a "big update" to the car so that number nine works. In any case, Horner is not writing off Hamilton and Mercedes prematurely, after all, Silverstone is “a different challenge” than the last stretches, a “fast course with flowing corners”.
And third place in Canada, Hamilton's only second podium this year, brought the superstar back to believing in his own strength. "That gave me a lot of hope that there is more to get out of this car, that the potential is really there," said Hamilton: "If we get the set-up right." He wants to show everyone. Especially probably Piquet.
