7-time Formula 1 World Champion Lewis Hamilton has publicly condemned racist slurs made toward him by former World Champion Nelson Piquet while speaking at a podcast.

Hamilton took to Twitter to express his disgust and condemnation of the sentiment of the three-time Brazilian champion.

“It’s more than language. These archaic mindsets need to change and have no place in our sport,” Hamilton opened.

“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,” he added.

The racing world was shocked when the 69-year-old Brazilian, who won the world title in 1981, 1983, and 1987, used a racially offensive term to refer to Hamilton during a Podcast in November that surfaced this week.

The Portuguese term used is said to be tantamount to the N-word in Brazil.

The comments by Piquet have been condemned by Formula 1, Hamilton’s Mercedes team, and the FIA.

 During the podcast, Piquet was said to be discussing the collision between Hamilton and Red Bull driver Max Verstappen on the first lap of last year’s British Grand Prix.

The Brazilian was very critical of Hamilton in his analysis of the incident calling it “a joke”, saying Hamilton had been “lucky” only Verstappen crashed, a rant during which he used a swear word in expressing his opinion that Hamilton had made a mistake.

An F1 statement said: “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 ” the Body added.

“We condemn in the strongest terms any use of racist or discriminatory language of any kind,” said Mercedes. “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 ” the organization concluded.

The FIA, motorsport’s governing body, reaffirmed a strong stance against such thinking: “The FIA strongly condemns any racist or discriminatory language and behavior, which have no place in sport or wider society. We express our solidarity with Lewis Hamilton and fully support his commitment to equality, diversity and inclusion in motor sport.”

Piquet, who is the father of Verstappen’s partner Kelly Piquet, is reported to have a history of making distasteful remarks.

During his driving career, he is said to publicly question Ayrton Senna’s sexuality and called his rival “the Sao Paulo taxi driver”.

Verstappen nor his Piquet has yet to publicly comment on the incident.