After a year full of vile remarks directed at Lewis Hamilton, the Piquet family have been thrown under the spotlight once again; however, this time it’s not to do with three-time F1 World Champion Nelson Piquet.
The ex-F1 driver was seen on a pre-recorded podcast racially abusing Hamilton, which has resulted in a $1.8 million fine and a ban from the sport. But this hasn’t stopped one of his children from making outlandish statements.
Max Verstappen’s Brazilian girlfriend, Kelly Piquet, is the daughter of the controversial 70-year-old and has never been afraid to express her own political opinions on social media.
A recent post by the model has since resurfaced following a visit by Hamilton to a favela, prior to the Brazilian Grand Prix this weekend.
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Ahead of the race, Hamilton has, of course, been made an honorary citizen of Brazil, with the 103-time GP winner hailing himself as “one of” the Brazilian people.
A favela, also known more commonly as a slum, are typically places where people build their own homes using whatever they can find, with the areas being highly common in Rio de Janeiro and São Paulo.
Brazil has recently undergone a leadership election, where the controversial Jair Bolsonaro was removed from power, with former president Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva having received the most votes.
Verstappen’s girlfriend was a vocal supporter of Bolsonaro, who has long been questioned over his racist comments and has been labelled by Lulu as a “tiny little dictator”.
During their respected campaigns, Lulu happened to visit a favela, where an Instagram story from Piquet has resurfaced from.
According to reports, the old post labelled those that go to the favelas as “criminals”, with fans having vocalised their anger at the comments made by Piquet following Hamilton’s recent visit.
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“Kelly Piquet shared a video that those who go to the favelas are criminals and well, that is completely prejudiced and racist,” wrote the user on Twitter.
“Do you know who visited a Favela today? Lewis Hamilton!
“He is not a criminal. He went to prove that everyone can dream and win.”