Nelson Piquet

Interesting facts

Nelson Piquet began in karting, and because his father disapproved of racing he hid his identity under his mother's maiden name, misspelled as "Piket." In 1978 he broke Jackie Stewart's record for most wins in a single Formula Three season and made his F1 debut that same year. He won his first world title in 1981 with Brabham at the season-ending Las Vegas Grand Prix, run in extreme desert heat that left him so exhausted he vomited in the car and had to be lifted out. He claimed his third and final title in 1987 at Williams against teammate Nigel Mansell; after a serious qualifying crash at Imola he secretly visited a Milan hospital every two weeks for treatment, later admitting his title-winning wins were effectively inherited rather than earned outright. He also became known for blunt, often offensive remarks, publicly mocking Mansell and his wife and making baseless claims about Ayrton Senna. In 2021 he used a racist term about Lewis Hamilton, which resurfaced in 2022 and led to a temporary ban from the F1 paddock. Nelson Piquet raced in Formula 1 from 1978 to 1991, across 14 seasons as a Brazilian driver. He won the World Championship 3 times, in 1981, 1983, 1987. He scored a total of 481.5 championship points over his career.