Nelson Piquet Jr.
Brazilian racing driver
Who is Nelson Piquet Jr.?
Nelson Ângelo Tamsma Piquet Souto Maior (born July 25, 1985), also known as Nelson Piquet Jr. or Nelsinho Piquet, is a Brazilian stock car racing driver and former Formula One and Formula E driver where he was champion in the 2014–15 season. The son of three-time Formula One world champion Nelson Piquet, he was signed as test driver for Renault Formula One team for the 2007 season, and was promoted to the race team for 2008, before being dropped midway through the 2009 season. He currently competes full-time in the Brazilian Stock Car Pro Series, driving the No. 33 Toyota Corolla E210 for Motul TMG Racing. Piquet also races a ORECA 07 in the LMP2 Pro/Am class of the European Le Mans Series for Team Virage.
Historical significance
After losing his drive, it emerged that he had, under instruction from senior members of the team, crashed deliberately at the 2008 Singapore Grand Prix to help his teammate, Fernando Alonso, win the race. The resulting scandal became one of the most significant in motor sport history, and ultimately saw a permanent end to Piquet Jr's career in Formula 1. Piquet also finished runner-up in the 2006 GP2 Series, fourth in the 2014 Global RallyCross Championship, and seventh in the 2012 NASCAR Truck Series. Nelson Ângelo Tamsma Piquet Souto Maior, also known as Nelson Piquet Jr. or Nelsinho Piquet, is a Brazilian stock car racing driver and former Formula One and Formula E driver where he was champion in the 2014–15 season. or Nelsinho Piquet, is a Brazilian stock car racing driver and former Formula One and Formula E driver where he was champion in the 2014–15 season.
