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• Piquet punished for racist and homophobic slurs aimed at Hamilton as Brazilian lands £780,000 court fine

  Brazilian motor racing great Nelson Piquet has been fined around £780,000 for making racist and homophobic comments about seven-time Formula One drivers' champion Lewis Hamilton.

  A judge in Brasilia imposed the punishment "for collective moral damages" and it was announced the money would go towards promoting racial equality and fighting LGBTQIA+ discrimination.

  It was alleged by campaign groups behind the action that Piquet made comments in a November 2021 interview on YouTube that "violated the diffuse fundamental right to honour of the black population and the LGBTQIA+ community", and that those remarks, directed at Hamilton, went beyond the limits of freedom of expression.

  In a statement confirming the punishment for 70-year-old Piquet, who won Formula One titles in 1981, 1983 and 1987, it was said that he denied intending "to harm Hamilton or anyone else's honour".

  However, the judge said the discriminatory content was verifiable and determined Piquet's use of the term 'neguinho', which translates as 'little black man', was used when the former driver was being critical of Hamilton.

  It was ruled that: "The nuances of language cannot go unnoticed, as subtlety is one of the characteristics of contemporary Brazilian racism: the subjugating element is present, the neguinho is not just any person, he is not a young black man, it is not an affectionate nickname, it is [saying] that the black person is doing something wrong, that he is an inferior race.

  "In this context, it is easy to see that the use of the term neguinho by the defendant, a white person, to refer to the black English driver is a conduct that is discriminatory and with harmful meaning".

  The judge determined Piquet had also used homophobic language when referring to Hamilton, implying that "being gay would be a negative characteristic, because it means incompetence".

  The ruling and fine of five million Brazilian Reals is a punishment that Piquet is entitled to appeal against.

  At the time of Piquet's remarks coming to light last June, former F1 supremo Bernie Ecclestone declared Hamilton should be "happy" he received an apology and ought to have "brushed aside" the Brazilian’s racist slur.

  Hamilton responded by referencing Ecclestone and Piquet as "older voices", declaring they have "nothing positive" to contribute.

  "We push for action. There needs to be some accountability," Hamilton said.

  He added: "I have always tried to take the higher road and be respectful. It ties back to – why do we give them a platform? They are not with the times. They are not willing to change. Microaggression in today's world is not healthy."

• Wolff: Mercedes missing Lauda's influence in ongoing struggles

  Mercedes are missing the influence of Niki Lauda amid their ongoing struggles, team principal Toto Wolff said.

  Three-time champion Lauda held a non-executive chairman role with Mercedes until his death in 2019 and played an integral role during the team's dominant years in Formula One.

  That spell at the top now seems a million miles away, having conceded the Constructors' Championship to Red Bull last season when they won just a single race.

  Mercedes' struggles look set to continue in 2023 after failing to get on the podium in either of the first two races of the season in Bahrain and Saudi Arabia, where Red Bull dominated.

  While the team are in need of development upgrades to close the gap on their rivals, Wolff outlined why the absence of Lauda is also a hindrance.

  "Niki's missed all those years because Niki always simplified things to really what mattered," he said.

  "I'm having to think what would he have said, and how would he have positioned [things], and the two of us worked well together in that sense that sometimes oversimplification can lead you straight to the results.

  "But there are lots of nuances. This is a technical sport, so maybe my role was to translate it in a way that we actually were able to execute it in the car design.

  "But this is very simple: the stopwatch never lies, and we see on the data where we are missing and that needs to be corrected."

• Horner rules out Red Bull move for Hamilton amid Mercedes woes

  Christian Horner has ruled out Red Bull making a move to snatch Lewis Hamilton from rivals Mercedes at the end of the season.

  The seven-time Formula One champion looks set to endure another difficult season with Mercedes, having failed to win a race in 2022 – the first year in his career without a victory.

  Mercedes' struggles have reignited the debate around Hamilton's future, with the British driver's deal due to expire at the end of the season, and team principal Toto Wolff accepted there can be no complaints in the years to come if Hamilton moves elsewhere.

  However, Red Bull would not make a move if Hamilton was to become available, with Horner adamant Max Verstappen and Sergio Perez will remain put for next season.

  "What Lewis has achieved in F1 is second to none, but we're very happy with the drivers that we have," he told Sky News.

  "They're committed as a pair not only this season but the next season as well. So, I can't see where we would be able to accommodate Lewis."

  While Mercedes have struggled so far this season, failing to secure a podium in either of the opening two races, Horner expects the team to improve over the course of the year.

  "I'm sure they're going to sort their issues out – we're certainly not writing him off yet," he added.

  "We're hearing about big Mercedes upgrades. I'm sure Ferrari aren't happy with their current position as well. So, we're fully expecting things to converge quickly."

  Hamilton has spent the past decade with Mercedes and has won six of his seven world titles with the team, the other coming in 2008 during a five-year stint with McLaren.