Gary Lineker a 'wally' for 'race abuse' claims says Daubney

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Gary Lineker, 61, has broken his silence today on the racism row surrounding racing driver, Nelson Piquet. In an interview from November, Nelson appeared to use racist language in reference to Lewis Hamilton.

Sharing a news story recounting the backlash sparked by Nelson, Gary stated in view of his 8.5 million Twitter followers: “Dreadful bloke.”

Speaking to Brazilian publication Estadao in a video that was released on Monday, Nelson reflected on Lewis’ win at last year’s British Grand Prix.

Lewis tangled with Max Verstappen on the opening lap, with the Dutchman veering off at high speed after making contact with his Mercedes rival at the infamous Copse corner.

He said: “The n***** put the car in the wrong way and didn’t let [the other driver swerve].

“The n*****  put the car in the wrong way on the corner, it’s because you don’t know the curve.

“It’s a very high curve, there is no way to pass two cars and there’s no way you can put the car aside.

“He did [Verstappen] dirty. His luck was that only the other one was gone.”

Following the release of the footage, Lewis took to Twitter today to furiously hit out at the “archaic mindsets” in sport as he denounced being “targeted my whole life”.

The Mercedes driver said now “the time has come for action” after footage of the interview resurfaced, including an epithet that makes reference to the colour of his skin.

He penned: “It’s more than language. 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.”

F1 released a statement condemning Nelson’s use of “racist language”, as it branded Lewis an “incredible ambassador”.

The statement read: “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 committed to at F1.”

Mercedes also swiftly joined their driver’s efforts to condemn the use of “discriminatory language” and promote “diverse and inclusive motorsport”.

The statement read: “We condemn in the strongest terms any use of racist or discriminatory language of any kind. Lewis has spearheaded our sport’s efforts to combat racism, and he is a true champion of diversity on and off track.

“Together, we share a vision for a diverse and inclusive motorsport, and this incident underlines the fundamental importance of continuing to strive for a brighter future.”

Nelson has since issued a statement that read: “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 never intended to offend. I would never use the word I have been accused of in some translations.

“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 the 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 thoughts in that respect.”

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