Nelson Piquet Championship Title
Brazilian racing driver, former Formula One driver, and 2014–15 Formula E champion.
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.
Quick Facts
- Total wins
- 4 (Piquet's wins; Williams won 9 races in 1987: Piquet 4, Mansell 5)
Lore & Background
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. 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.
Reader's Guide
Piquet finished runner-up in the 2006 GP2 Series, fourth in the 2014 Global RallyCross Championship, and seventh in the 2012 NASCAR Truck Series. He currently competes full-time in the Brazilian Stock Car Pro Series, driving the No. 33 Toyota Corolla E210 for Motul TMG Racing, and also races an ORECA 07 in the LMP2 Pro/Am class of the European Le Mans Series for Team Virage.
Did You Know?
- Piquet was born in Heidelberg, West Germany.
- He won the 2004 British Formula 3 Championship, becoming the youngest driver to have ever won the championship at nineteen years and two months.
- He scored his first podium in Formula One with second place at the 2008 German Grand Prix.
- Piquet was granted blanket immunity by the FIA after providing evidence in the 'Crashgate' scandal.
Frequently Asked Questions
Who won the 1987 Formula One World Championship for Williams Racing?
Nelson Piquet claimed his third drivers' title that year, piloting the Williams FW11B powered by a Honda V6 turbo engine. His victory came at the very end of the season, making it one of the most dramatic title deciders in F1 history.
What car and engine did Nelson Piquet use to win the 1987 championship?
Piquet drove the Williams FW11B, which was equipped with a Honda V6 turbocharged engine. That combination proved competitive enough to challenge McLaren and Ferrari across the full 1987 calendar.
How close was the Williams driver's championship battle in 1987?
Piquet edged out his teammate Nigel Mansell by just a single point to take the drivers' title. The razor-thin margin made it one of the tightest intra-team championship fights in Formula One history.
How many race wins did Nelson Piquet record in the 1987 season?
Piquet took four victories during the 1987 campaign while driving for Williams. Those wins, spread across the season, were crucial in keeping him level with Mansell until the final rounds.
Why is the 1987 Williams season considered a landmark moment for the team?
Securing Piquet's third world title proved Williams could consistently compete at the very top alongside McLaren and Ferrari. The season also highlighted the fierce internal rivalry between Piquet and Mansell, which became a defining narrative of that era.
More in Team History & Eras
Elsewhere in Williams Racing
Spotted an error? Know more?
Reader corrections go straight into our review queue. Suggest an edit · How this site is sourced