Nelson Piquet Souto Maior (born August 17, 1952) is a Brazilian former racing driver and the 1981, 1983, and 1987 Formula 1 world champion. He is also the father of Formula 1 driver Nelson Piquet Jr. and model Kelly Piquet, who is currently the partner of Max Verstappen.
Formula 1 Debut
Piquet made his Formula 1 debut with Ensign at the 1978 German Grand Prix, and raced the next three events in a BS Fabrications McLaren. For the final race of the season, the Brazilian drove for Brabham, the team he would remain with until 1985.
Brabham
Piquet raced for Brabham from 1979 until 1985, taking 13 wins and his first two world titles with the British team. His second title in 1983 was also a first for a turbocharged car, as well as BMW’s first and so far only title in Formula 1.
Williams
After turning down an opportunity at McLaren, Piquet switched to Williams in 1986 and continued his run of race wins and podiums. He finished the season third behind Nigel Mansell and eventual world champion Alain Prost. His second and final season with the team yielded his third world title in 1987. Piquet capped off his time with Williams with a total of seven wins and 14 additional podiums.
Lotus
Contract disputes prompted Piquet to switch to Lotus in 1988 but saw a dip in form, and eventually lost his number one plate to fellow Brazilian Ayrton Senna. Piquet spent 1989 in an underpowered Lotus 101, resulting in his first season without a podium since 1979.
Benetton
Piquet made a late switch to Benetton for the 1990 season and was immediately back to fighting for wins and podiums, finishing the year in third overall. 1991 turned out to be his final year in Formula 1, scoring his final race win at the Canadian Grand Prix and driving alongside Michael Schumacher in the later half of the season before announcing his retirement from the sport.
Louis Moinet
Louis Moinet announced the Legends Nelson Piquet (ref. LM-33.10.20) chronograph in 2013. The Brazilian world champion’s printed signature appears on the dial, while the case back features his three championship years. The model’s blue and white colors are a nod to Brabham, and was limited to 365 pieces.
Related Pages
References
https://www.watchonista.com/articles/louis-moinet-celebrates-formula-one-legend-nelson-piquet
https://www.exquisitetimepieces.com/louis-moinet-legends-nelson-piquet-lm-33-10-20.html
https://www.thewatchpress.com/features/louis-moinet-nelson-piquet-and-that-chronograph