Nelson Piquet Jr. facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Nelson Piquet Jr. |
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Piquet in 2021
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| Born | July 25, 1985 Heidelberg, West Germany |
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| Formula E career | |||||||
| Debut season | 2014–15 | ||||||
| Racing licence |  FIA Platinum |
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| Car no. | 3 | ||||||
| Former teams | NIO Formula E Team, Panasonic Jaguar Racing | ||||||
| Starts | 51 | ||||||
| Championships | 1 (2014–15) | ||||||
| Wins | 2 | ||||||
| Podiums | 5 | ||||||
| Poles | 1 | ||||||
| Fastest laps | 4 | ||||||
| Best finish | 1st in 2014–15 | ||||||
| Finished last season | 22nd | ||||||
| Formula One World Championship career | |||||||
| Nationality |  Brazilian |
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| Active years | 2008–2009 | ||||||
| Teams | Renault | ||||||
| Entries | 28 (28 starts) | ||||||
| Championships | 0 | ||||||
| Wins | 0 | ||||||
| Podiums | 1 | ||||||
| Career points | 19 | ||||||
| Pole positions | 0 | ||||||
| Fastest laps | 0 | ||||||
| First entry | 2008 Australian Grand Prix | ||||||
| Last entry | 2009 Hungarian Grand Prix | ||||||
| NASCAR Cup Series career | |||||||
| 1 race run over 1 year | |||||||
| 2014 position | 53rd | ||||||
| Best finish | 53rd (2014) | ||||||
| First race | 2014 Cheez-It 355 at The Glen (Watkins Glen) | ||||||
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| NASCAR Xfinity Series career | |||||||
| 38 races run over 4 years | |||||||
| 2016 position | 83rd | ||||||
| Best finish | 12th (2013) | ||||||
| First race | 2010 Zippo 200 (Watkins Glen) | ||||||
| Last race | 2016 Mid-Ohio Challenge (Mid-Ohio) | ||||||
| First win | 2012 Sargento 200 (Road America) | ||||||
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| NASCAR Gander RV & Outdoors Truck Series career | |||||||
| 54 races run over 4 years | |||||||
| 2013 position | 100th | ||||||
| Best finish | 7th (2012) | ||||||
| First race | 2010 NextEra Energy Resources 250 (Daytona) | ||||||
| Last race | 2013 Ford EcoBoost 200 (Homestead) | ||||||
| First win | 2012 VFW 200 (Michigan) | ||||||
| Last win | 2012 Smith's 350 (Las Vegas) | ||||||
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| Statistics current as of August 13, 2016. | |||||||
| Championship titles | |||||||
| 2014–15 2004 2002 |
Formula E British Formula 3 Formula Three Sudamericana |
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| Awards | |||||||
| 2003 Autosport National Racing Driver of the Year 2012 NASCAR Camping World Truck Series Most Popular Driver |
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Nelson Ângelo Tamsma Piquet Souto Maior (born July 25, 1985), also known as Nelson Piquet Junior or Nelsinho Piquet, is a Brazilian stock car racing driver. He is a former Formula One driver and was the first-ever champion of the Formula E racing series in its 2014–15 season. He currently drives the No. 33 Toyota Corolla E210 for Motul TMG Racing in the Brazilian Stock Car Pro Series.
He is the son of Nelson Piquet, who was a three-time Formula One world champion. Piquet Jr.'s own Formula One career ended after a major controversy where he was told by his team to crash on purpose during a race. After leaving Formula One, he raced in many other series, including NASCAR and Rallycross.
Contents
Personal life
Piquet Jr. was born in Heidelberg, West Germany. His father is the famous Brazilian Formula One champion Nelson Piquet, and his mother is Sylvia Tamsma, who is Dutch. His parents separated when he was young. He lived with his mother in Monaco until he was eight years old.
After that, he moved to Brazil to live with his father. He said his mother wanted him to learn about Brazil and get to know his father. He attended the American School of Brasília until he was 16, when he left to focus on his racing career.
Early racing career
Piquet's racing journey began in 1993 with kart racing in Brazil. He raced karts for eight years before moving up to faster cars in Formula Three Sudamericana in 2001. He was so good that he won the championship in 2002 with four races still left in the season.
In 2003, he moved to the United Kingdom to compete in the British Formula 3 Championship. He finished third in his first year. The next year, in 2004, he won the championship, becoming the youngest driver ever to do so at 19 years old.
In 2006, Piquet raced in the GP2 Series, which is a stepping stone to Formula One. He finished in second place, just behind future F1 champion Lewis Hamilton. His success in these junior series got him noticed by Formula One teams.
Formula One career
Driving for Renault (2007–2009)
In 2007, Piquet became the official test and reserve driver for the Renault team. The next year, he was promoted to a full-time race driver for the 2008 season, with two-time world champion Fernando Alonso as his teammate.
His first season had some difficult moments, including several crashes and retirements from races. However, he also showed his talent. He scored his first points with a 7th-place finish in France. His best result came at the German Grand Prix, where he finished in second place, earning his first and only F1 podium.
The "Crashgate" controversy
Piquet's Formula One career came to an end in 2009 because of a major scandal known as "Crashgate." After he was dropped by the Renault team midway through the season, it was revealed that he had been ordered to crash his car on purpose during the 2008 Singapore Grand Prix.
The team's managers told him to crash to cause a safety car period. This helped his teammate, Fernando Alonso, who was then able to pit for fuel at the perfect time and go on to win the race.
When the story came out, it became one of the biggest scandals in racing history. The Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile (FIA), which governs motorsports, investigated the incident. The Renault team managers involved left the team, and Piquet's career in Formula One was over.
Career after Formula One
After leaving F1, Piquet did not give up on racing. He explored different types of motorsports and found success in several of them.
NASCAR (2010–2016)
In 2010, Piquet moved to the United States to compete in NASCAR. He started in the Camping World Truck Series. He quickly adapted to the different style of racing and became the first Brazilian to finish in the top ten in a Truck Series race.
Over the next few years, he won races in both the Truck Series and the second-tier Nationwide Series. His first Nationwide Series win came at the famous Road America track in 2012.
Formula E Champion (2014–2019)
In 2014, Piquet joined the brand-new Formula E championship, a series for all-electric cars. Driving for the China Racing team (later called NEXTEV), he had a fantastic first season.
He won races in Long Beach, USA, and Moscow, Russia. Thanks to his consistent high finishes throughout the year, he became the first-ever Formula E champion, winning the title by just one point. He later raced for the Jaguar Racing team before leaving the series in 2019.
Career summary
| Season | Series | Team | Races | Wins | Poles | Points | Position |
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| 2001 | Formula 3 Sudamericana | Piquet Sports | 7 | 1 | 1 | 77 | 5th |
| 2002 | Formula 3 Sudamericana | Piquet Sports | 17 | 13 | 16 | 296 | 1st |
| 2003 | British Formula 3 Championship | Piquet Sports | 23 | 6 | 8 | 231 | 3rd |
| Masters of Formula 3 | 1 | 0 | 1 | N/A | 2nd | ||
| Macau Grand Prix | Hitech Racing | 1 | 0 | 0 | N/A | 8th | |
| F3 Korea Super Prix | 1 | 0 | 0 | N/A | 3rd | ||
| 2004 | British Formula 3 Championship | Piquet Sports | 24 | 6 | 5 | 282 | 1st |
| European Formula 3 Cup | 1 | 0 | 1 | N/A | 4th | ||
| Macau Grand Prix | 1 | 0 | 0 | N/A | 10th | ||
| Masters of Formula 3 | 1 | 0 | 0 | N/A | 8th | ||
| Bahrain F3 Superprix | 1 | 0 | 0 | N/A | NC | ||
| Porsche Supercup | Porsche AG | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | NC | |
| 2005 | GP2 Series | Hitech Piquet Sports | 22 | 0 | 0 | 46 | 8th |
| 2005–06 | A1 Grand Prix | A1 Team Brazil | 14 | 2 | 2 | 71† | 6th† |
| 2006 | GP2 Series | Piquet Sports | 21 | 4 | 6 | 102 | 2nd |
| 24 Hours of Le Mans - GT1 | Russian Age Racing | 1 | 0 | 0 | N/A | 4th | |
| Mil Milhas Brasil - GTP1 | Cirtek Motorsport | 1 | 1 | 0 | N/A | 1st | |
| 2008 | Formula One | ING Renault F1 Team | 18 | 0 | 0 | 19 | 12th |
| 2009 | Formula One | ING Renault F1 Team | 10 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 21st |
| 2010 | NASCAR Nationwide Series | Baker Curb Racing | 1 | 0 | 0 | 146 | 102nd |
| NASCAR Camping World Truck Series | Red Horse Racing | 1 | 0 | 0 | 644 | 44th | |
| Billy Ballew Motorsports | 3 | 0 | 0 | ||||
| ARCA Racing Series | Eddie Sharp Racing | 3 | 0 | 1 | 450 | 50th | |
| Copa Chevrolet Montana | M4T Motorsport | 1 | 0 | 0 | N/A | NC | |
| 2011 | NASCAR Camping World Truck Series | Kevin Harvick Incorporated | 25 | 0 | 0 | 752 | 10th |
| NASCAR Nationwide Series | Turner Motorsports | 1 | 0 | 0 | N/A | 124th | |
| 2012 | NASCAR Camping World Truck Series | Turner Motorsports | 22 | 2 | 3 | 747 | 7th |
| NASCAR Nationwide Series | 2 | 1 | 1 | N/A | 104th | ||
| 2013 | NASCAR Nationwide Series | Turner Scott Motorsports | 33 | 0 | 0 | 861 | 12th |
| NASCAR Camping World Truck Series | NTS Motorsports | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 100th‡ | |
| Turner Scott Motorsports | 1 | 0 | 0 | ||||
| Global RallyCross Championship | X Team Racing | 4 | 0 | 0 | 17 | 19th | |
| 2014 | Global RallyCross Championship | SH Racing | 10 | 0 | 0 | 307 | 4th |
| Blancpain Sprint Series | BMW Sport Trophy Team Brasil | 8 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 37th | |
| NASCAR Sprint Cup Series | Randy Humphrey Racing | 1 | 0 | 0 | 18 | 53rd | |
| World Rallycross Championship - RX Lites | Olsbergs MSE | 1 | 0 | 0 | 18 | 20th | |
| Stock Car Brasil | Mobil Super Racing | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | NC‡ | |
| 2014–15 | Formula E | China Racing | 11 | 2 | 0 | 144 | 1st |
| 2015 | Global RallyCross Championship | SH Racing Rallycross | 12 | 1 | 0 | 380 | 4th |
| Indy Lights | Carlin | 2 | 0 | 1 | 28 | 15th | |
| Stock Car Brasil | AMG Motorsport | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | NC‡ | |
| 2015–16 | Formula E | NEXTEV TCR | 10 | 0 | 0 | 8 | 15th |
| 2016 | FIA World Endurance Championship | Rebellion Racing | 3 | 0 | 0 | 25 | 15th |
| 24 Hours of Le Mans | 1 | 0 | 0 | N/A | 29th | ||
| Global RallyCross Championship | SH Rallycross | 3 | 0 | 0 | 63 | 12th | |
| NASCAR Xfinity Series | Biagi-DenBeste Racing | 1 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 83rd | |
| Stock Car Brasil | Shell Racing | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | NC‡ | |
| 2016–17 | Formula E | NextEV NIO | 12 | 0 | 1 | 33 | 11th |
| 2017 | FIA World Endurance Championship - LMP2 | Vaillante Rebellion | 8 | 0 | 1 | 73 | 12th |
| 24 Hours of Le Mans - LMP2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | N/A | DSQ | ||
| International GT Open | BMW Team Teo Martín | 2 | 0 | 0 | 8 | 28th | |
| 2017–18 | Formula E | Panasonic Jaguar Racing | 12 | 0 | 0 | 51 | 9th |
| 2018 | Stock Car Brasil | Full Time Bassani | 19 | 0 | 0 | 65 | 15th |
| 2018–19 | Formula E | Panasonic Jaguar Racing | 6 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 22nd |
| 2019 | Stock Car Brasil | Full Time Sports | 21 | 0 | 0 | 163 | 13th |
| TitansRX International Europe Series | N/A | 4 | 0 | 0 | 22 | 18th | |
| 2020 | Stock Car Brasil | Full Time Bassani | 18 | 1 | 0 | 224 | 7th |
| Porsche Endurance Series | ? | 3 | 1 | 0 | 192 | 2nd | |
| 2021 | Stock Car Brasil | MX Piquet Sports | 13 | 0 | 0 | 24 | 30th |
| Porsche All-Star Race Brasil | N/A | 1 | 0 | 0 | N/A | 14th | |
| 2022 | Stock Car Pro Series | Motul TMG Racing | 22 | 2 | 0 | 232 | 8th |
| Lamborghini Super Trofeo North America - Pro | Ansa Motorsports | 8 | 2 | 1 | 76 | 5th | |
| 2023 | Stock Car Pro Series | Crown Racing/TMG | 22 | 0 | 0 | 191 | 14th |
| European Le Mans Series - LMP2 Pro-Am | United Autosports USA | 5 | 0 | 0 | 40 | 8th | |
| TC2000 Championship | Toyota Gazoo Racing YPF Infinia | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | NC‡ | |
| 2024 | Stock Car Pro Series | Cavaleiro Sports | 24 | 0 | 0 | 591 | 19th |
| European Le Mans Series - LMP2 Pro-Am | Team Virage | 3 | 0 | 0 | 18 | 13th | |
| TCR World Tour | Squadra Martino | 2 | 0 | 0 | 6 | 29th | |
| TCR South America Touring Car Championship | * | ||||||
| 2025 | Stock Car Pro Series | Scuderia Bandeiras Sports | 7 | 1 | 0 | 216 | 6th* |
† Includes points scored by other Team Brazil drivers.
‡ Ineligible for championship points
* Season still in progress.
Images for kids
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Piquet at Road America in 2012
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Piquet at his first NASCAR Nationwide Series win at Road America in 2012.
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Piquet competing at the RFK Stadium during the 2014 Global RallyCross Championship.
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Piquet Jr. driving at the 2018 Berlin ePrix.
See also
In Spanish: Nelson Piquet Jr. para niños
