Hammond’s widely discussed comments about Mexico come from a 2011 episode of the BBC show Top Gear , where he used xenophobic stereotypes while talking about a Mexican sports car.

What Hammond Said

  • While reviewing the Mexican-built Mastretta sports car, Richard Hammond claimed that cars reflect “national characteristics.”
  • He then said that “Mexican cars are just going to be lazy,” expanding this into a longer insult describing a Mexican as “lazy, feckless, flatulent, overweight, leaning against a fence asleep, looking at a cactus with a blanket with a hole in the middle on as a coat.”

Reaction in Mexico and Abroad

  • Mexico’s ambassador in London, Eduardo Medina Mora, filed a formal complaint to the BBC, calling the remarks “offensive, xenophobic and humiliating” and demanding an apology.
  • The controversy triggered widespread criticism, with many viewers and commentators characterizing the remarks as bigoted national stereotyping rather than harmless humor.

BBC and Hammond’s Response

  • The BBC sent a letter expressing regret that people had been offended but also argued that jokes based on national stereotypes were a long-standing part of British humor.
  • The incident has since been repeatedly cited as one of the major controversies of Top Gear , and summaries of Hammond’s career still highlight this Mexico segment as a key example of his on-air missteps.

TL;DR: Hammond joked that “Mexican cars” (and by implication Mexicans) are lazy, “feckless, flatulent, overweight,” etc., sparking a diplomatic complaint from Mexico and a partial apology from the BBC.

Information gathered from public forums or data available on the internet and portrayed here.