Bernie Ecclestone 'surprised' Lewis Hamilton hasn't 'brushed aside' Nelson Piquet slur

Max Verstappen will aim to extend his lead over his rivals in this season's rankings, while Lewis Hamilton will be hoping to put a disappointing campaign so far behind him to achieve a historic ninth victory at Silverstone. There have been plenty of iconic British Grand Prix racing memories on the track, such as Nigel Mansell's battle with Ayrton Senna in 1991 and Michael Schumacher's sensational win in the rain in 1998.

F1 fans were left fuming as Carlos Sainz took pole position for the British Grand Prix at a soaked Silverstone.The first pole of Sainz's career was well received by most people at Silverstone, but a number of fans watching on TV were unhappy with F1’s coverage, particularly in the closing stage as the battle to be on the front row reached a crescendo.As Sainz headed back to the pits after posting what proved to be the fastest time of Q3 the camera stayed on his Ferrari as the Spaniard waved to fans and spoke to his engineer. The director also cut away to fans holding umbrellas in the grandstands and Hollywood actor Keanu Reeves, who was watching from the Ferrari garage. READ MORE: Christian Horner blames Charles Leclerc as Max Verstappen is beaten to pole for British GP However, a number of other drivers were still on their final fast laps, including the Mercedes pair of Lewis Hamilton and George Russell and Alpine’s Fernando Alonso.

Lewis Hamilton, 37, spoke candidly about his love life after his highly-publicised split from Nicole Scherzinger.The F1 driver admitted that his successful career made it “really, really tough” to stay in a long-term relationship.Lewis and Pussycat Dolls star Nicole, 44, were together on-and-off for seven years after meeting at the MTV EMAs in 2007.The pair were even rumoured to have become engaged in 2014 before Lewis denied the claims.However, their long-distance relationship came to a halt in 2015 and the pair eventually parted ways for good.Speaking to reporters at the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix in 2019, Lewis explained why it had been so hard for him to settle down in a relationship over the years.He said: “I think it’s probably similar to most sportsmen and women really.“It may be slightly different in that we are travelling as much as we are, and you are just away for crazy amounts of time, so that’s probably an additional weight load that makes it really, really tough to hold down a good relationship.”In fact, Lewis explained how having issues with their love life was a recurring theme for many athletes.He continued: "In general for athletes, having the right mindset and trying to find the right balance of how dedicated you are as opposed to resting back and enjoying your quality time, it’s different for everyone.”Following his breakup from Nicole, Lewis reflected on the “tough time” he had been going through during a 2019 interview on The Graham Norton Show.Ahead of the German Grand Prix, he said at the time: “I wear my heart on my sleeve and it is hard to hide my emotions.“I’m trying my hardest to be positive but I’m going through a really, really tough time at the moment with the loss of someone really, really

F1 chief Bernie Ecclestone has doubled down on his stance over Vladimir Putin's invasion of Ukraine in February. Appearing on ITV's Good Morning Britain, Ecclestone, when asked if he still considers Putin a friend, said: "I’d still take a bullet for him.

Bernie Ecclestone left Piers Morgan almost speechless by comparing the N-word to mocking someone’s height and weight.The former Formula One chief executive made another shocking remark in his latest bizarre interview to go viral. Ecclestone, 91, appeared on Piers Morgan Uncensored where he was quizzed over his baffling views on Vladimir Putin and Nelson Piquet’s racial slur towards seven-time F1 champion Lewis Hamilton.Morgan questioned Ecclestone about comparing racial remarks to making “rude” comments about someone’s weight, which the latter had done on Good Morning Britain on Thursday (June 30).

Lewis Hamilton didn’t seem to let his difficult week faze him as he arrived at Silverstone for the Grand Prix.The Formula 1 star looked as stylish as ever, stopping to snap photos with fans.Lewis rocked a jazzy yellow and pink geometric jacket, pairing it with purple trousers and donning some sunnies. He could be seen walking the circuit as he prepared for the race.The race comes days after Lewis spoke out about a racial slur used against him by former champion driver Nelson Piquet.

Former Formula One boss Bernie Ecclestone has told Good Morning Britain he would “still take a bullet” for Vladimir Putin, as well as suggesting Nelson Piquet’s comments about Lewis Hamilton were not meant as racist. Speaking to hosts Kate Garrarway and Ben Shepherd, Bernie showed his support behind both Putin and Piquet - in a very controversial appearance on the morning show. As well as showing his support for Putin, he also aired his disdain for Ukrainian President Zelensky.

Formula 1 supremo Bernie Ecclestone has said he would “take a bullet” for Vladimir Putin and called the Russian leader a “first class person,” while criticizing Ukrainian leader Volodymyr Zelensky and U.S. intervention.

Bernie Ecclestone claimed he would "take a bullet" for Russian war dog Vladimir Putin in a bizarre interview on Good Morning Britain.President Putin is public enemy number one around the world after his decision to unleash war on Ukraine. But former F1 boss Ecclestone sees things slightly different and has sensationally blamed Ukrainian President Zelensky for failing to avert war with Russia.

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.

Nelson Piquet is apologizing for his comments about Lewis Hamilton.

Lewis Hamilton, 37, has been forced to respond after Nelson Piquet, 69, used a racist slur to describe the F1 driver on a podcast.

Formula One three-time world champion Nelson Piquet has been condemned for using racially abusive language towards Lewis Hamilton, with the majority of the current grid speaking out in his defence. Whilst referring to the seven-time world champion, Piquet used a racially abusive term in a derogatory way when analysing the crash between him and Max Verstappen at the British Grand Prix last year. The fact that this interview is only just being picked up in the main stream media and being acted on highlights a major problem in itself.

Lewis Hamilton after being accused of aiming a racial slur at the seven-time F1 champion.However, the former F1 driver, whose daughter Kelly is in a relationship with Max Verstappen, has insisted the term he used was commonplace in Brazil and was not used in a racial context. The interview in question, in which Piquet discussed Hamilton’s clash with Verstappen at last year’s British Grand Prix, took place in November, but the comments have only just come to light.Piquet was reportedly in danger of being barred from the F1 paddock at races if he failed to apologise.READ MORE: Damon Hill almost ran over track invader as Nigel Mansell won British Grand Prix“I would like to clear up the stories circulating in the media about a comment I made in an interview last year,” he said in a statement.

Max Verstappen will have a score to settle at Silverstone this weekend following his controversial clash with Lewis Hamilton last year, according to his father Jos.As the pair diced for the lead at the 2021 British Grand Prix, Verstappen and Hamilton touched at the ultra-fast Copse corner, with Verstappen spearing into the barriers at high speed. The Dutchman was taken to hospital as a precaution but fortunately escaped injury. Hamilton incurred a 10-second penalty for causing the collision but still went on to win the race following a late pass on Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc.

Lewis Hamilton has spoken out for the first time on shocking footage which appeared to show three-time F1 world champion Nelson Piquet using a racial slur when describing his clash with Max Verstappen at Silverstone in 2021. The Brazilian has been widely condemned by the F1 community for using the term 'neguinho' while discussing Hamilton, who is an avid campaigner for racial equality. Hamilton and Verstappen came together at Copse Corner in 2021, producing one of the defining moments of last season's epic title battle between the pair.

Lewis Hamilton during an interview. Piquet twice referred to the Briton as "the neguinho" as he discussed Hamilton's collision with Max Verstappen at last year's Silverstone Grand Prix. Mercedes ace Hamilton collided with his Red Bull rival during the opening lap of the British Grand Prix last July as Verstappen went veering off the track at high speed at the infamous Copse corner.

Lewis Hamilton has received a message of support from Manchester United defender Raphael Varane after three-time F1 world champion Nelson Piquet used a racist term to describe the Mercedes ace during an interview. Piquet made his comments last November as he spoke about Hamilton's clash with Max Verstappen at the Silverstone Grand Prix. And they were broadcast by Brazilian media on Monday night.

Lewis Hamilton, has a family full of famous faces with his daughter dating Max Verstappen. The Red Bull star and reigning drivers' world champion met Brazilian model and journalist Kelly Piquet after she split with former F1 star Daniil Kvyat, with whom she shares daughter Penelope.Kelly, 33, began handling social media for Formula E back in 2015 having been a regular at races growing up thanks to her famous father.

Lewis Hamilton has spoken out saying "archaic mindsets need to change" after three-time former world champion Nelson Piquet referred to him using racist language. The 69-year-old made the racist comments during a Brazilian podcast interview last November where shared his thoughts on a crash in the opening lap involving the seven-time champion with rival Max Verstappen at last year's Silverstone race. In the end, Verstappen didn't finish the race as a result after he spun out and crashed into a barrier while Hamilton went on to win the Grand Prix.

Lewis Hamilton after using a racist slur to describe the seven-time world champion.Piquet, a three-time world champion, allegedly used a term in Brazil that translates in English to the N-word during an interview that took place in November of last year while discussing Hamilton's title showdown with Max Verstappen, who is in a relationship with his daughter Kelly.While speaking to Brazilian journalist Ricardo Oliveir, Piquet reportedly criticised Hamilton for not leaving Verstappen enough room as they battled for the lead on the first lap at Silverstone.READ MORE: Chinese F1 star Zhou Guanyu claims he was bullied early on in career due to nationalityPiquet, the father of former F1 driver Nelson Piquet Jr., is said to have called the Mercedes driver "neguinho" and "the little black man".F1 reporter Philip Duncan detailed on Tuesday afternoon that Piquet's access to the paddock is in danger of being revoked should he fail to publicly apologise.The comments, that have been widely reported in South America, have been condemned by Hamilton, Mercedes chiefs and also F1 bosses.Does F1 need to do more to combat racism? Have your say in the comments sectionFormula 1 said: "Discriminatory or racist language is unacceptable in any form and has no part in society.