Nelson Piquet Jr. facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Nelson Piquet Jr.
Piquet in 2021
Born	(1985-07-25) July 25, 1985 (age 40) Heidelberg, West Germany
Formula E career
Debut season	2014–15
Racing licence	FIA Platinum
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
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)
Wins Top tens Poles 0 0 0
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)
Wins Top tens Poles 1 7 1
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)
Wins Top tens Poles 2 28 4
Statistics current as of August 13, 2016.
Championship titles
2014–15 2004 2002	Formula E British Formula 3 Formula Three Sudamericana
Awards
2003 Autosport National Racing Driver of the Year 2012 NASCAR Camping World Truck Series Most Popular Driver
Medal record Representing  Brazil Summer X Games Bronze 2014 Austin RallyCross

Nelson Ângelo Tamsma Piquet Souto Maior (born July 25, 1985), also known as Nelson Piquet Junior or Nelsinho Piquet, is a Brazilian race car driver. He used to compete in Formula One and Formula E, where he won the championship in the 2014–15 season. Currently, he races full-time in the Brazilian Stock Car Pro Series. He drives the No. 33 Toyota Corolla E210 for Motul TMG Racing.

He also races an ORECA 07 car in the LMP2 Pro/Am class of the European Le Mans Series for Team Virage.

Nelson Piquet Jr. is the son of Nelson Piquet, a three-time Formula One world champion. Piquet Jr. became a test driver for the Renault Formula One team in 2007. He was then promoted to a main race driver in 2008. However, he was removed from the team in the middle of the 2009 season. Later, it was revealed that he had deliberately crashed his car at the 2008 Singapore Grand Prix. This was done to help his teammate, Fernando Alonso, win the race. This event caused a big scandal in motor sports. It ultimately ended Piquet Jr.'s career in Formula 1.

Piquet also finished second in the 2006 GP2 Series. He placed fourth in the 2014 Global RallyCross Championship. He was seventh in the 2012 NASCAR Truck Series.

About Nelson Piquet Jr.'s Life

Nelson Piquet Jr. was born in Heidelberg, West Germany. His father, Nelson Piquet, is a famous three-time Formula One world champion from Brazil. Piquet's parents separated shortly after he was born. He lived in Monaco with his Dutch mother, Sylvia Tamsma, until he was eight years old. Then, he moved to Brazil to live with his father.

Piquet has two sisters, Kelly and Julia. He also has four half-brothers: Geraldo, Laszlo, Pedro, and Marco. He lived in Brasília and went to the American School of Brasília. When he was 16, he decided to focus completely on his racing career.

Early Racing Career

Piquet started his racing journey in 1993 in Brazilian karting. He raced karts until 2001. Then, he moved to Formula Three Sudamericana. His father's support allowed him to race for his own team. He continued this practice until he left the GP2 Series.

He raced part of the 2001 season in Formula Three Sudamericana. In 2002, he won the championship with four races still to go. In 2002, he also competed in one race of Brazilian Formula Renault.

In 2003, Piquet moved to the United Kingdom. He joined the British Formula 3 Championship and created the Piquet Sports team. He finished the championship in third place. He had six wins, five podiums, and eight pole positions. After this, he had a test drive with the Williams Formula One team.

Piquet then won the 2004 British Formula 3 Championship. He was the youngest driver to win this championship at 19 years and 2 months old. He also did more test driving for Williams.

In 2005, Piquet raced in the A1 Grand Prix for A1 Team Brazil. He won both the Sprint and Main races at the first event of the season at Brands Hatch. He also set the fastest lap. He also drove for the Hitech Piquet Sports team in the GP2 Series. He won his first race at Spa-Francorchamps in Belgium. He also tested for the BAR-Honda Formula One team.

In 2006, Piquet finished second in the GP2 championship. He was behind British driver Lewis Hamilton.

Formula One Racing (2007–2009)

2007 Season

During the 2007 season, Piquet was the official test and reserve driver for the Renault Formula One team.

2008 Season

Piquet driving for Renault at the 2008 Canadian Grand Prix.

Piquet scored his first F1 points at the 2008 French Grand Prix.

For the 2008 season, Piquet became a main driver for the Renault Formula One team. He raced alongside the two-time World Champion Fernando Alonso. It was said that he got the spot over Heikki Kovalainen because Kovalainen might have been too strong a rival for Alonso.

In the first race of 2008 in Australia, Piquet started 21st. His car was damaged in a crash on the first lap. He retired from the race on lap 31. This was the same result his father had in his first race in 1978. At the Malaysian Grand Prix, he started 13th and finished 11th. He started the Bahrain Grand Prix from 14th. He retired with a gearbox problem after his second pit stop.

Piquet qualified 10th for the Spanish Grand Prix in Barcelona. This was his first time in the top 10 qualifying session. However, his race ended on lap seven after he crashed with Sébastien Bourdais. At the Turkish Grand Prix, he qualified 17th and finished 15th. He also had two races where he did not finish. He crashed at Monaco because of the wet conditions. He spun off at Canada while chasing Alonso. He later retired on lap 42 due to brake failure.

Piquet was under a lot of pressure from his Renault team in 2008. There were rumors he might lose his spot if he did not improve. Renault publicly told him to do better after the Turkish Grand Prix. They also suggested he lacked confidence after Monaco. Despite the pressure, Piquet scored his first F1 points. He finished seventh at the 2008 French Grand Prix. He even passed his teammate Fernando Alonso in the final laps.

At the British Grand Prix at Silverstone, Piquet was in fourth place at one point. He had passed his teammate, who was on old tires. Piquet spun out on lap 36 due to the very wet conditions. A race later, at the German Grand Prix, he finished second. He was ahead of Felipe Massa's Ferrari and behind Lewis Hamilton's McLaren. This was his first podium finish. He had used a one-stop strategy, which helped him gain positions with the help of a safety car. In the Japanese Grand Prix, he finished fourth.

2009 Season

Piquet at the 2009 German Grand Prix.

Even with rumors he might leave, Renault kept Piquet. They signed him to a one-year contract. Alonso remained his teammate.

Piquet had a tough start to the 2009 season. He failed to get past the first qualifying session in the first three races. His first race in Australia ended on lap 24 due to brake failure. He had a better race in Malaysia, finishing 13th. This was two places and seven seconds behind Alonso, as the race was shortened due to bad weather.

China was another difficult race. He spun several times and needed two new nose cones for his car. He finished 16th and last, two laps behind. Team manager Flavio Briatore called it a "very, very bad race." He had a better race at Bahrain, finishing 10th. He gained many places and held off Webber at the end. In Spain, he finished 12th.

Piquet at the 2009 Turkish Grand Prix.

Later, at the 2009 German Grand Prix, Piquet qualified better than his teammate for the first time. However, after the 2009 Hungarian Grand Prix, he still had not scored any points in the 2009 season. On August 3, 2009, Piquet confirmed that Renault had let him go. He strongly criticized his former manager and team boss Flavio Briatore. Piquet said Briatore was his 'executioner' and questioned his knowledge of Formula One. Piquet also said Briatore favored teammate Fernando Alonso. Renault's test driver Romain Grosjean replaced Piquet for the rest of the season.

Piquet was considered as a replacement for the injured Felipe Massa at Ferrari. However, Ferrari signed Giancarlo Fisichella instead. Piquet had replaced Fisichella at Renault in 2008.

2009 FIA Investigation: "Crashgate"

In August 2009, after Piquet left the Renault F1 team, it was said that he had deliberately crashed his car at the 2008 Singapore Grand Prix. This was supposedly to help his teammate Fernando Alonso, who then won the race. At first, Piquet said the crash was a simple mistake. Later, he changed his story. He told the Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile (FIA) that the crash was on purpose. He said that Renault team boss Flavio Briatore and engineer Pat Symonds had asked him to do it. The FIA gave Piquet immunity for his evidence. On September 4, 2009, Renault F1 leaders were accused of planning and fixing the race. They were called to a meeting with the FIA World Motor Sport Council in Paris on September 21, 2009.

On September 11, Renault and Briatore said they would take legal action against Piquet for making false claims. However, on September 16, Renault announced they would not fight the charges. They also said that both Briatore and Symonds had left the team.

On September 21, after the FIA hearings, Piquet, who was 23 at the time of the 2008 Singapore GP, said he deeply regretted his actions. He said his time at Renault became a nightmare. He felt he was controlled by Mr. Briatore and could not refuse the plan. In December 2010, the Piquets won a legal case against Renault. Renault apologized to Piquet for harming his reputation and paid him a large amount of money.

After the "Crashgate" controversy, Piquet hinted that he had talked with Force India about racing again. However, they kept their current drivers. So, Piquet decided to move to NASCAR for 2010.

NASCAR Racing (2010–2014, 2016)

Piquet at his first NASCAR Nationwide Series win at Road America in 2012.

Piquet announced in January 2010 that he would race in NASCAR. He drove in the Camping World Truck Series with Red Horse Racing. He made his stock car debut in the ARCA RE/MAX Series at Daytona International Speedway. In his first truck race, Piquet finished sixth. He was the first Brazilian driver to finish in the top ten in that series. Piquet then said he would compete in three more races for Billy Ballew Motorsports. In August, he raced in the NASCAR Nationwide Series at Watkins Glen International. He finished seventh in his first start in that series.

On December 13, 2010, Kevin Harvick, Inc. announced that Piquet would drive a third truck for their team in 2011. He drove the #8 Chevrolet for the full Truck series season. Piquet finished 10th in points. He was a finalist for Most Popular Driver and second for Rookie of the Year.

Piquet signed with Turner Motorsports for 2012. He drove the No. 30 Chevrolet for the full season in the Camping World Truck Series. He also raced part-time in the Nationwide Series.

Piquet got his first win in a NASCAR-sanctioned series in March. He won his first-ever K&N Pro Series East race at Bristol Motor Speedway.

On June 23, 2012, Piquet won his first NASCAR race. He won the Nationwide Series Sargento 200 at Road America. He was the first Brazilian driver to win a NASCAR national touring series event.

On August 18, 2012, Piquet won his first Camping World Truck Series race in Michigan. On lap 56, he spun out while racing Kurt Busch. The team pitted during the caution. This allowed them to use a fuel strategy later in the race to win. On September 29, 2012, Piquet won his second career Camping World Truck Series race at Las Vegas Motor Speedway.

In 2013, Piquet moved to full-time racing in the Nationwide Series. He drove the No. 30 for Turner Scott Motorsports. He was aiming for Rookie of the Year. He also drove in some Truck Series races for the team. He raced in the Truck Series finale at Homestead-Miami Speedway for NTS Motorsports.

Piquet competing at the RFK Stadium during the 2014 Global RallyCross Championship.

In 2014, Randy Humphrey Racing hired Piquet to race the No. 77 Ford. He competed in the Sprint Cup Series' Cheez-It 355 at The Glen at Watkins Glen International. This was his first race in that series.

Two years later, Piquet returned to the Nationwide Series, now called the Xfinity Series. He drove the No. 98 Ford for Biagi-DenBeste Racing at Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course.

Rallycross Racing

After leaving Turner Scott Motorsports in 2013, Piquet joined SH Racing in April 2014. He competed in the 2014 Global RallyCross Championship. He drove the No. 07 Ford Fiesta ST. He earned four podium finishes in nine races. He ended the season in fourth place in the championship standings.

Formula E Racing (2014–2019)

China Racing/NEXTEV (2014–2017)

Piquet racing in the 2015 Berlin ePrix.

In August 2014, Piquet tested with Formula E team China Racing. He was hired by the team on August 21. In the first five races of the 2014–15 season, Piquet finished on the podium in Punta del Este and Buenos Aires.

Piquet won his first Formula E race in Long Beach. He won his second in Moscow. These wins, along with his consistent results, helped Piquet win the first-ever Formula E Championship. He won by just one point over Sébastien Buemi.

Jaguar Racing (2017–2019)

Piquet Jr. driving at the 2018 Berlin ePrix.

In 2017, Piquet joined Panasonic Jaguar Racing. This was after two challenging seasons with NextEV.

In the 2018-19 season, Piquet's teammate Mitch Evans performed better in every ePrix. Piquet scored only one point that season. He left the Jaguar team after the Sanya ePrix. Alex Lynn replaced him for the rest of the season.

Racing Records

Career Summary

^† Includes points scored by other Team Brazil drivers.
^‡ Not eligible for championship points.
^* Season still in progress.

Formula 3 Sudamericana Results

(key) (Races in bold mean pole position; races in italics mean fastest lap)

British Formula Three Championship Results

(key) (Races in bold mean pole position; races in italics mean fastest lap)

GP2 Series Results

(key) (Races in bold mean pole position; races in italics mean fastest lap)

A1 Grand Prix Results

(key) (Races in bold mean pole position; races in italics mean fastest lap)

24 Hours of Le Mans Results

24 Hours of Le Mans results
Year	Team	Co-Drivers	Car	Class	Laps	Pos.	Class Pos.
2006	Russian Age Racing Team Modena	Antonio García David Brabham	Aston Martin DBR9	GT1	343	9th	4th
2016	Rebellion Racing	Nick Heidfeld Nicolas Prost	Rebellion R-One-AER	LMP1	330	29th	6th
2017	Vaillante Rebellion	Mathias Beche David Heinemeier Hansson	Oreca 07-Gibson	LMP2	364	DSQ	DSQ

Formula One Results

(key)

NASCAR Results

(key) (Bold – Pole position by time. Italics – Pole position by points. * – Most laps led.)

Sprint Cup Series

Xfinity Series

Camping World Truck Series