Nelson Piquet

Nelson Piquet

Definition and Historical Standing
Nelson Piquet (Nelson Piquet Souto Maior), born on 17 August 1952 in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, is one of only ten drivers in F1 history to secure three or more World Championships. He claimed the Drivers' World Championship three times—in 1981, 1983, and 1987—competing in 207 Grands Prix throughout his career, bagging 23 race victories and 24 pole positions. Renowned for his unorthodox style and blistering underlying pace, Piquet went toe-to-toe with legendary drivers like Alain Prost, Nigel Mansell, and Ayrton Senna in the 1980s, establishing himself as one of the fiercest competitors of that era.

Early Career and European Stint
Born into a family of medical professionals in Brazil, Piquet's father initially envisioned a professional tennis career for him; he took up tennis at age 11 and won a national tournament in Brazil before ultimately pivoting to motorsport. He began karting at 14, clinching back-to-back Brazilian Karting Championships from 1971 to 1972 while competing under his mother's maiden name, "Piquet", to keep his racing under wraps. In 1976, he won the Brazilian Formula Super Vee championship and subsequently moved to Europe on the advice of Emerson Fittipaldi. In 1978, he dominated the British F3 Championship by winning 13 out of 26 rounds—breaking the single-season record held by Jackie Stewart—before making his F1 debut later that year with the Ensign team at the German Grand Prix.

The Brabham Era and Two World Titles
In 1979, Piquet officially joined Bernie Ecclestone’s Brabham team, initially as a teammate to Niki Lauda. When Lauda abruptly retired towards the end of the 1979 season, Piquet stepped up as team leader. In 1980, he clinched his maiden Grand Prix victory at the United States Grand Prix West and finished runner-up in the Drivers' Championship with three wins, narrowly losing out to Alan Jones. In 1981, Piquet finished fifth in the season finale at Las Vegas, edging out Carlos Reutemann by just two points to secure his first World Championship. In 1983, piloting the BMW turbo-powered BT52, he mounted a late-season comeback against Alain Prost to become the first driver in F1 history to win a World Championship with a turbocharged powerplant.

The Williams Era and the Third Championship
In 1986, Piquet made the switch to Williams-Honda alongside Nigel Mansell. The intra-team rivalry was fiercely contested; while Mansell chalked up more race wins (six to three), Piquet’s superior consistency allowed him to wrap up his third World Championship early at the 1987 Japanese Grand Prix. Piquet later reflected that the 1987 title was his most challenging, remarking, "I had to create division within the team to survive and win the championship".

Later Career and Legacy
In 1988, Piquet moved to Team Lotus, but a lack of machinery performance left him without a win over two seasons. He joined Benetton in 1990, scoring two race victories that year before claiming the final win of his F1 career at the 1991 Canadian Grand Prix. At the end of the 1991 season, the 40-year-old called time on his F1 career. Following his retirement, he turned his focus to business ventures and managing the racing careers of his sons, Nelson Piquet Jr. and Pedro Piquet. Piquet was inducted into the International Motorsports Hall of Fame in 2000. In 2006, partnering with his son Nelson Jr., he steered an Aston Martin DBR9 to victory in the Mil Milhas Brasil (Brazilian 1,000 Miles) endurance race.