Piquet Jnr heading to NASCAR

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Nelson Piquet Jnr claims he will race in one of the NASCAR championships this year.

They’re welcome to him.

A statement on Piquet’s website says:

NASCAR is hugely challenging and nobody has ever come in as an outsider before and gone on to win it – it will be the ultimate challenge.
Nelson Piquet Jnr

He doesn’t make clear whether he will be the elite Sprint cup or a lower level such as the Nationwide league, Trucks championship or even one of the smaller sanctioned series. A spokesperson said he would confirm which series he will race in within the next few weeks.

Piquet tested a NASCAR truck in October last year. Recent F1 drivers who moved to NASCAR, such as Juan Pablo Montoya, Jacques Villeneuve and Scott Speed, all ran in the lower leagues before contesting the Sprint cup.

I suspect that’s what Piquet plans to do before taking on the “ultimate challenge” of racing the likes of Jimmie Johnson, Jeff Gordon and Mark Martin in the Sprint cup.

All the F1 drivers who’ve turned their hands to NASCAR have found it a very different discipline to get to grips with. I can’t say how well Piquet will get on, but I do know I’m not sorry he isn’t staying in F1. What do you think?

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Keith Collantine
Lifelong motor sport fan Keith set up RaceFans in 2005 - when it was originally called F1 Fanatic. Having previously worked as a motoring...

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114 comments on “Piquet Jnr heading to NASCAR”

  1. I’d comment but the charter prevents swearing and insults.

    1. I though he was a punk for doing what he did. Then I thought it out and came to realize he is just immature and was being guided by a very convincing flavio. I’m sure he was just trying to keep his ride. I guess I’d say I’m immature as well since I’d crash a car to be in f1. He can do lots of that in nascar though, its a common occurance. I can only watch the end of the race for that reason, yellow after yellow etc. I have to hand it to nascar though, they are racers in that series.

      1. I agree, I think these statements are quite harsh on the kid, good luck to him because it is a very difficult catergory to master.

    2. exactly this guy is a dweeb and doesnt deserve the time…
      He should go and sit in the corner..and stay there…I dont want to hear from him or his d*&^ father again.

    3. Great Reply Hairs…i second your motion to refrain from comment due to prohibition on swearing and insults…

      what a ^&*(%&^$%^%#$%^$*%^&*()&*)

  2. Well I couldn’t really care less what he does.

    I still feel a little bit sorry for him though.

    1. I couldn’t care less also but not because of the crashgate but more because he wasn’t any good anyways.

  3. Luis Salvatierra
    12th January 2010, 15:47

    Absolutely, They can have him (Americans), He had the chance of a lifetime and he messed it up. So he is lucky to be still racing.

    1. He’s lucky not to be in jail for what he did.

      1. Get over your self,do think he was the only one to fallow orders…based on your thinking , M.S. should have been kicked out for driving into the side of J.V.

        1. Yeah, MS crashed a few times deliberately. Or stalled his car on track during quali to stop others completing their fast laps. He was ruthless. Yet because he won stuff, he’s a hero. Rosberg was right to say he was dangerous on the track. Piquet however, is just a pup. A loser in F1 terms, so no-one has time for him.

  4. I think he’s a silly man, and I also somewhat pity him.

  5. HounslowBusGarage
    12th January 2010, 15:56

    I think Junior is a victim of his father’s ambition. But do you really mean next year ,Keith – 2011? If you do, he could still be in F1 in 2010 . . .

    1. Nope, changed it. I knew I’d get caught out by the new year eventually…

    2. I know Piquet did something very serious and blamed it on others. It’s also sad that the Piquet name would be associated with Nelsinho’s disgraceful act rather than his father’s achievements in F1.

      But I wanted the Piquet name in F1. I’m emotional about it as I’m emotional about the Senna and Prost name in view of the great achievements they’ve made in the sport. Bruno Senna vs. Nelsinho Piquet – wouldn’t it have been great?

  6. Haha nice title!

    Nelson will definitely give the crowd what they want. Crashes, crashes and more crashes.

    1. You don’t know a thing about Nascar if you think the fans are eager for “crashes, crashes, and more crashes”. That is the only source of entertainment for non Nascar fans. Those of us who enjoy the sport do not do so for the crashes.

      1. Reminds me of this debate we had recently: What the average fan really thinks of F1

      2. I don’t think it’s a particuarly inaccurate thing to say about a series which celebrates and arguably encourages a crash called ‘The Big One’.

        I just found this sentence on Wikipedia:

        ‘By 2009, Talladega Superspeedway itself marketed itself on the notorious crashes, with a third-pound frankfurter sold at the track calling itself “The Big One”.’

        This has to be the most American sentence I’ve ever heard! Making money, crashing cars and fast food all in one sentence… didn’t think it was possible!

        1. For years, drivers, team owners and fans alike have been trying to get NASCAR to remove the rule for restrictor plates from Talladega and Daytona. The plate is what causes the Big One, cause it bunches up the cars and if there is a problem ahead, the rest of the pack is too close to get out of the way.

          A few other quotes from the same article you read on Wikipedia:

          By the mid-1990s, competitors and media began taking note of the multi-car wrecks at Daytona and Talladega. In 1997, Dale Earnhardt described a final-lap crash at the 1997 Pepsi 400 as “the Big Wreck”. News articles began using the term “Big Wreck” to describe such crashes in 1998, and by 1999, its use was widespread. Drivers began to openly admit they were apprehensive of its possibility.

          One of the first times the term “The Big One” was used on-air was during the Winston 500 on ESPN October 11, 1998. Commentator Bob Jenkins said during the crash on lap 134 “this is the big one we hoped we would not have”.

          During the 2001 Daytona 500 Fox commentator Darrell Waltrip used the term on-air to describe the crash on lap 173: “It’s the big one, gang; it’s The Big One. It’s what we’ve all been fearing.”

          As for Talladega using “The Big One” as a marketing tool, I suppose it was inevitable. It is rather like making lemonade instead of complaining about being given a bag of lemons. Considering the number of drivers and team owners and fans speaking out against restrictor plate racing, I don’t think anyone really in the know actually enjoys seeing a huge crash.

          I’d also like to mention that while so many F1 fans apparently condemn NASCAR by sating it’s all about crashes, there are also many F1 fans that wish for rain to alleviate a boring race–but isn’t running in the rain a recipe for shunts? And stop to think a moment–every F1 race starts with drivers going hell-bent-for-leather down the straight into either a tight chicane or hairpin–also a recipe for shunts. I don’t think it is only NASCAR that enjoys the occasional crash.

    2. I second that. We want to see good racing not a bunch of wrecks wether it is in F1 or NASCAR.

  7. Don’t think he should be allowed to drive anything whether it is in F1 or NASCAR or another series. I actually feel sorry for NASCAR, they don’t deserve to have a cheat.

    1. I agree. He shouldn’t be allowed to race in anything what so ever. It’s a real shame he’s got away with cheating and got a drive in a very well known racing series :(

      1. Agree with both of you.

  8. My feelings for Nelsinho are fast changing from dislike to pity. Perhaps I’m going all soft, but I do think the real villains of Singapore are Briatore and Symonds*

    *this depends on whether or not Piquet Jr was the one to come up with the whole damn plan in the first place

    1. I actually felt little dislike for Nelsinho in the first place, apart from the fact that he did it. He just strikes me as a stupid kid. Flavio and Symonds never had any excuse.

    2. What he did was immoral and there is absolutely no excuse for him to do what he did let alone agree to it in the first place, BUT I can’t imagine that it was his plan to start with.. I believe that Briatore and Symonds were the masterminds and he wrongfuly followed.

      Did they threaten his career? Was he under pressure to please his father and did this to ensure his place in F1? Did he tell his father about it, and what did he think? Did they purposefully agree to do it to have something to hold against Flavio if something arises in the future..

      If he was really cornered or bullied into doing it to please Flavio, then I do feel sorry for him that he ruined his dream career in such a reckless way and didn’t have the strength to stand up for what he believes in.. But if he liked the idea and happily agreed to do it, then I think as many of you said no series deserves him.. He’d be too dangerous to have around..

    3. Both Symonds and Mr X stated that Piquet came up with the idea on saturday, just after qualifying.

      Apart from Piquet being outnumbered (by witnesses who have nothing to gain from lying about it), it makes much more sense than Piquet’s claim that they asked him to crash just before the race started.

  9. I’d be surprised to see him jump straight to NASCAR. Even Dario Franchitti struggled straight into NASCAR from IRL. It’s not easy and you can be left as a non-qualifier all to easily and that’ll upset the sponsors.

    I won’t miss him. Anyone who crashes a car on purpose is not someone who I want to see in F1. Unless of course he has secretly somehow saved the world by doing so but is not allowed to tell us.

  10. Well, I think we are talking about a second (or third, or fourth) tier driver.
    Doesn’t interest me too much. The title is nice.

  11. Well of all the open wheels drivers to try NASCAR in the last few years, on JPM has had sucess and he is getting better every year. I dont want to see Nelson Piquet Jr in F1, or NASCAR.

  12. They turn left all the time in NASCAR don’t they?? And wasn’t THAT corner in Singapore a left hand bend…

    …yeah he should do fine!!

    1. If, by fine, you mean crashing at the first corner of every race, then yes. :D

  13. If he likes to crash cars he can go to a specialty called the Demolition Derby, and that´s all they do : big old sedans crashing into each other ! the last one standing wins.

    1. Sadly, he’ll probably total his car within seconds by crashing into the nearest wall on his left.

      1. There aren’t many walls on the left in NASCAR are there? lol

  14. I’m glad he’s in NASCAR as that means I wont be seeing him, or his dad, anytime soon.

  15. I don’t see how he’ll be able to race in a series sponsored by a car insurance company (Nationwide) with his driving record…

    NASCAR is a sponsor-driven sport. He is a toxic PR nightmare, even for his rivals and their sponsors.

    1. Not necessarily. 99% of Nascar fans don’t know who he is, much less what he did in F1. I love Nascar and F1 but most American racing fans hate F1 unfortunately. His F1 past will be of no significance here. He would truly have a fresh start but I don’t know what team here would want him. Every open wheel driver except JPM has had a disaster here and even JPM hasn’t won on an oval yet.

      1. Please don’t be so quick to have assumptions about Nascar fans. Living in the US Nascar is obviously the main form of racing, and I know of fans that just watch Nascar.

        Surprisingly though the majority of the fans (casual and hardcore)I talk to about Nascar racing do know who Nelson Jr. is, and what he did. Hell they even know who Flavio is. They may not follow F1 but more than you think know about the crashgate scandal.

      2. American_F1_Fan
        14th January 2010, 22:07

        I’d have to disagree that most American racing fans hate F1. I don’t really know any that HATE it, most of them either know next to nothing about it, or just don’t care about it.

  16. Nelson Piquet Jnr seeks new crashing opportunities in NASCAR

    Bwahahaha – excellent!

  17. Well I dont have the same hate for him you all seem to. At the end of the day he was naive – his Team Owner/Manager ordered him to do what he did – it’s briatore that should be blamed for this, he was simply doing what his bosses told him to. Naive… maybe. Poor decision… definately. But I don’t think for one minute that it was his idea. I for one would like to see him have one more chance in F1.

    1. Nelsinho, is that you? ;)

    2. This may be seen as a slightly over the top comparison, but the Nazis used the “just following orders” excuse as well. It didn’t wash then and it doesn’t wash now.
      Ultimately it’s an individual’s choice whether they want to follow an order or not.

      1. It washed for Hamilton during Liegate.

        1. Penelope Pitstop
          12th January 2010, 19:04

          Ooooh! *giggle*

          You know, I’ve been saying the same thing. Hamilton didn’t endanger anyone, obviously, but it’s the principle of the thing…

        2. Not with me it didn’t.
          And not to defend Hamilton at all but the important difference is that Piquet’s actions put lives at risk.

        3. He was disqualified from that race and lost a thoroughly deserved 3rd spot.

          I’d hardly call that “washed”

      2. José Baudaier
        12th January 2010, 20:22

        Godwin’s Law.

      3. Agree completely with you hitchcockm00. Fact is Flavio could have shouted ‘crash’ as much as he wanted but it was up to Piquet whether he drove into the wall.
        Same in Hamilton’s case. Obviously Piquet’s situation is a lot more serious and he risked the safety of others but both cases come down to choice.

        1. jraybay-lewismclarenfan
          13th January 2010, 16:59

          Piquet doesn’t have enough dignity, apparently, to keep the car off the wall. Also It was mclarens idea…. Dave ryans order to let Trulli past. Lewis let him by to be safe but miscommunication between the f.i.a, lewis and mclaren led to the panalty. 2010 is mclarens year :D .

    3. Piquet says he was ordered to do it. Symonds AND mr X say that Piquet came up with the idea.

  18. He should have let the Singapore crash fade into obscurity rather than blowing the whistle. He would probably be in an F1 cockpit this year if he had kept his mouth shut. I think the Piquets were more interested in “getting even” with Briatore for sacking Piquet Jr.

    How do the previous drivers that crashed on purpose. How do these “crashers” fit into F1 history? Senna? Schumacher? Prost? Piquet should be viewed differently for crashing? I find it hard to judge him solely on crashing. The greats are guilty too.

    1. Sorry for the typo, I meant to say:

      “How about previous drivers that crashed on purpose.”

  19. The title is plain brilliant.

  20. very appropriate title for this article, thanks!

  21. Now we just need rid of Nakajima!

  22. I’d love to meet the bloke who gave him this drive and ask him what the benefits are – other than money.

    1. The benefits are for his teammate :D

  23. I cant think of any other team getting as much publicity as the team employing NPJ will be getting!

  24. Great headline Keith. I almost peed myself when I saw that!

  25. Well I am glad he is not going to be in F1.

    Could anyone please tell me how the NASCAR community in general view the events of Singapore 2008, was the race fixing scandal even big news in America other than with F1 fans?

    Also what is the opinion on Piquet Jnr himself with NASCAR followers, will he be just another former F1 driver, and is that generally a positive or a negative, I know a few F1 fans make jokes about NASCAR such as only turning left and seem to look down on it so I wondered what NASCAR thought of F1?

    If he came back to F1 I wouldn’t be surprised if he received a hostile reception from spectators, what are the chances of a response like this from NASCAR fans?

    1. “Could anyone please tell me how the NASCAR community in general view the events of Singapore 2008, was the race fixing scandal even big news in America other than with F1 fans?”

      haha, I bet the NASCAR community didnt even watch Singapore 2008 F1 and so they probably dont know anything about it. :)

      1. The events of Singapore ’08 are the norm for NASCAR fans ;)

        1. Now, before I posted the scathing reply that first came to mind, I thought I’d first ask just exactly what was meant by that remark?

          Did you mean to say that crashes or cheating, or both, are the norm for NASCAR fans?

          1. I meant nothing, it was in jest. I don’t know enough about the sport to make any informed remarks about it.

    2. This was a complete non story in America unless you are an F1 fan. If Schumacher was killed in a race, it might get a ten second mention in the main stream sports media here.

      I love both. But most Nascar fans find F1 painfully boring. Your basic American fan loves personalities, rivalries, side by side racing, and close finishes. F1 doesn’t give them this.

      There will be no responce from American fans. People don’t know who he is and recent history has told us that former open wheel drivers will no be competitive in Nascar.

      1. I did see a few things on “Crash Gate” in the mainstream American sports media- not much, but a few mentions here or there. Honestly, some of it may have to do with the fact that Renault hasn’t sold a car here in decades- if he were driving a BMW, Toyota or Honda, it may have been a bigger deal.

        I know of many NASCAR fans who also follow F1, or who are at least aware of what happens in the sport. If he’s starting in the Nationwide Series, he’ll be lost in the pack- many good drivers there, but all are overshadowed by the handful of Sprint Cup regulars who run the full series schedule.

        I doubt he would ever make to the Sprint Cup on talent- his only way would be to buy a drive. Given that JPM IS 100 times more talented than Piquet, and it took him several years just to be a consistent top-10 finisher in NASCAR, I doubt we will see Piquet pushing Jimmie Johnson anytime soon.

  26. As long as he’s not in F1, I’m happy.

  27. I think there might be some demolition derby tracks still operating in the deep south. If not there is always swamp buggy racing. I doubt he’ll make it into NASCAR proper.

    Feel sorry for an over privilidged little jerk whose rabid amibition and rampant stupidity outstripped both his talent and what little common sense he was born with? Uh, no.

    1. ++++++++ 100

  28. Bit inflammatory this me thinks.

    Yes Nelson cheated and potentially put other drivers / marshalls and possibly even spectators at risk, luckily noone was hurt and maybe that was because he timed it carefully.

    But how many other former F1 drivers/teams have cheated and not got such harsh critisism? I can think of a few.

    Lewis lied to the stewards to alter the outcome of his race on the advice of his manager and people seem to have forgiven him that.

    I guess I feel pity for Nelson because he wasnt honest enough to own up until after the deal with Briatore
    feel through. It doesn’t say much for his character and he’s going to have this following him around forever, but he was a young guy desperate to keep his seat.

    Why not do an article on past F1 drivers accused of serious cheating incidents? that would be interesting.

    Incidentally from what I know of Nascar they all suspect each other would cheat, so the teams are always on the lookout for it and that helps keeps them honest.

    1. There is no more “cheating” in Nascar than any other sport. The teams push the envelope as much as possible. Its up to the inspectors to find them out. The restrictions are so tight in Nascar that if you don’t work in the grey area, you will simply fall to the rear.

    2. Lewis lied to the stewards to alter the outcome of his race on the advice of his manager and people seem to have forgiven him that.

      No-one’s forgotten about it – it’s just not in the same league as this. Piquet crashed deliberately – along with all the safety implications that brings – and then confessed to it out of spite and only when he was sure he’d go unpunished.

      Why not do an article on past F1 drivers accused of serious cheating incidents? that would be interesting.

      Perhaps one day but not on the back of this – I think everyone’s a bit sick of the Crashgate fallout now and with the FIA taking Briatore to court again it’s not over yet.

      This old article might tide you over until then though: Ten of the best… F1 scandals

    3. Definately agree about looking at the context of past acts of cheating, this wasn’t even the first deliberate crash and it was not even the most dangerous. Senna’s attack on Prost in 1990 was far more dangerous than what Piquet did in Singapore, and it was just as blatent an example of premeditated cheating.

  29. We could have employed him here at the MI6.We need people here to crash test Bond’s new prototype cars.

    Ok, on a serious note I feel he will fail miserably & America has always been the land for failed Formula One drivers(Montoya exempted) to showcase their “talent” to the “world”. Ask an average American on the street at times square & he’ll tell you what the word “world” means.

    Good speed to Piquet & his American grail quest.

    1. Ya know, some of your remarks about America- both here and on the forum- are getting a bit tiresome…..

      As for the failed F1 drivers, I don’t exactly think Fittipaldi, Mansell, Andretti, Clark, Hill, etc…fit into that category when they came to race in IndyCars and the Indy 500.

      1. I am sorry. I never meant to bring down the American pride or whatever you call it. Its just that most of the population over there don’t realize the seriousness of Piquet’s actions & are ready to disgrace their favourite pass time by welcoming this guy.

        1. We will see exactly where he lands, but I doubt he will be making headlines anytime soon. Many people referenced Montoya and the several years it took him to get up to speed with NASCAR- Piquet is not even a fraction of the driver that JPM is, so he may be crashing in obscurity for the future.

  30. He might have been following orders but you have to stick to your grounds and reject an order if it is against what your your heart and mind is set for.
    I met him on his last year as test driver for Renault and I saw something in him I didn’t like. I knew he was not ready for the F1 drive when he was given the chance. And I mean psicologically, was not mature enough and that made him do the things they did. I am sorry for him because was a potencially good driver for F1 but it came much too soon for him regardless all the years he spent as test driver.
    Best of luck for him, hope he matured enough after his mistake.

  31. I think that his career was ruined because he wasn’t prepared for F1 and all its pressures. Much like Grosjean. Brazilian drivers that make their way across the pond always say that the main thing that helps them mature and build character is having to go to Europe, learn to live and race away from the families, often with little money to spare. Piquet never had to go through this, thus didn’t learn the value of what it takes to get to F1 for most people.

  32. i fell sorry for him… he crash whitout knows whats he’s doing.

    im wonder if (for example) a mecanic guy from ferrari gets really hurts on Massa’s pit stop misfortune….

    its serious stuff here…
    i cant deny that i like him becouse is piquet’s son.

    but he is really a stupid kid…just see his declarations… thats the reality.

    1. José Baudaier
      12th January 2010, 22:05

      What does one thing has to do with the other?

  33. why even talk about him, hes a cheat! he should stand down from the sport all together!

  34. One of the best headlines ever, love it.

    Dirty dirty Piquet.

  35. Well, if a winner in F1 usually becomes a loser in NASCAR, why can’t the opposite be true?

    1. Highly unlikely……

  36. I dont particularly like either Piquet, but all Jr did was deliberately crash in to a wall, Schu deliberately crashed in to his opponents several times with little punishment.

  37. Prisoner Monkeys
    12th January 2010, 21:58

    Good riddance.

  38. well, im sure he wont get criticized in nascar for such a “petty thing” as the fans will love him for giving them the big crash they want to see every race.

  39. I’m happy for him. He is young man living under the shadow of his farther who out of desperation made a mistake. I understand this, but do not excuse it. He should have received some kind of official punishment, but as we all know this did not happen – for reasons beyond his control. He is tarnished forever, so in effect he is still being punished. Just look at the headline of this article and some of the comments for example.
    I hope he learns from all this, keeps his head down and mouth shut, and makes the most of any second chances that are afforded to him as life does not always give them. On a side not, NASCAR is harder than most people give it credit for. If it was sooo easy, JPM would have waltzed in straight away and won. He didn’t. Very good drivers like Francitti and Hornish Junior have struggled to adjust. It, like any other motosport series has nuances that must be understood and maximized if you want to achieve at the best. I am unconvinced he has the mental fortitude to make it, but this crash-gate nonsense could actually be the making of the man. Stranger things have happened. only time will tell for sure

  40. I’m pretty over the crash thing. The main point for me is that he wasn’t at all fast in F1 so I don’t care what he does. Good riddance

  41. It just goes to show the low morality of certain people doesn’t it? I know some on this site have compared the events of Singapore 2008 with those concerning drivers such as Schumacher and Senna, but it is important to remember this. In motorsports history, not just in F1, you would be hard pushed to find a driver commit such a professional foul as Piquet Jnr did!
    When I was a kid, I remember Senna taking out Prost to win the championship. The media massacred Aryton, but I understood why he did it, how he could do it. The same with Schumacher in 1994 and 1997, both in the heat of battle and with so much at stake. The purists will argue that Piquet Jnr did the same, but he did it for an altogether different reason. He did it to help his team, his team mate, and his faltering career. He crashed his car, at high speed, risking other people’s lives in order to further his career.
    Now, nearly a year on from this, he really sets himself as a precedent. When he realises that Flavio Briatore is going to drop him from Renault, he blackmails his former boss. For nearly a year, he had kept his crime a secret but only when his career was in jeapordy did he open his mouth. The rest is history!
    When Senna, strangely enough, admitted to the world in 1991 that his accident with Prost had been on purpose, it was hardly a surprise. Infact, it was a surprise that Senna even admitted it. When Schumacher parked his Ferrari at Rascasse during the 2006 Monaco Gp qualifying, it was obvious why he had done it. All the above mentioned acts are cheating, pure and simple.
    With Piquet Jnr however, he decided that he would use it to blackmail his team and muddy his image further.
    NASCAR prouds itself on the controversial. The fans enjoy the after race punchups between drivers almost asmuch as the crashes themselves. It is pure, primetime American soap opera but infront of a 200,000 live audience, plus the many millions watching on tv.
    On that not, Piquet Jnr will be quite at home. However, if he thinks he can pull the same tricks there that he did in F1 he is seriously mistaken. His surname means nothing to the American racing public, he is not exactly the first punk kid with a big mouth to drive a stock car. So, in a year or two, I bet he’ll look back on 2008 and 2009 and regret just how badly his ego and mouth buried his career. He’ll miss F1, far far more than F1 will ever miss him.

    1. “On that not, Piquet Jnr will be quite at home. However, if he thinks he can pull the same tricks there that he did in F1 he is seriously mistaken. His surname means nothing to the American racing public, he is not exactly the first punk kid with a big mouth to drive a stock car. So, in a year or two, I bet he’ll look back on 2008 and 2009 and regret just how badly his ego and mouth buried his career. He’ll miss F1, far far more than F1 will ever miss him.”

      I agree with that!

  42. I think he shouldn´t be allowed to race ANYWHERE! But at least I´m so so so sooo happy he is not in F1! I really hope no team forgets what he did, but apparently there were some of the new ones that were not that concerned…

  43. I am not so sure if I am sorry, but I would like to see him racing another F1 season and show us what he claimed he could of achieved. (somehow I was persuaded that he could of done better if he was treated fairly within the team) He confessed his crime and I am sure that many others have done so in the pass but did not have the courage to step up and point out the wrong doings. Now, I am not supporting Piquet, rather I am feeling sorry for his father. I would always like to see a son can continue the good works of his father.

    It is always sad to see F1 drivers downgrade themself and gone to NASCAR which can only go around the circle.

  44. Mouse_Nightshirt
    13th January 2010, 8:06

    I think we’ve lost some of the facts here.

    The reason the FIA came down hard is that another person from Renault came forward and said that it all happened and they had wanted his input – he refused to.

    He quite explicitly backed up Pat Symonds version though – it was Piquet’s suggestion to crash, not Flav’s.

    Piquet is a piece of dirt in my eyes. I wouldn’t put it past him at all to have done something like this, as desperation was quite apparent by Singapore 2008.

    1. Indeed. Piquet’s and Mosley’s propaganda seems to have paid off though.

  45. Prisoner Monkeys
    13th January 2010, 9:08

    I love the way Piquet words things on his website – that he’s turning his back on a Formula 1 career. The serious implication is that he’s the one who has made the decision to leave the sport, and that it’s Formula 1 that has done him wrong. Not the other way around.

    Good luck in NASCAR, Nelson. They’re going to eat you alive.

  46. stupid people driving stupid cars in circles in a fake regional racing series that requires almost no driving talent? Sounds perfect for Piquet.

  47. I’m really dismayed by some of the elitist snobbery I’ve seen in many of the comments here.

    Obviously many commenters know nothing of NASCAR. There is not a punchup after every race, and many races finish without crashes or yellow flags.

    I fail to see that moving from Formula 1 to NASCAR-or any other racing series-is “downgrading”.

    NASCAR may only turn left, but they do it at over 200mph while passing another car. Can’t remember the last time I saw that in F1.

    A NASCAR fan might comment that F1 can’t even make up their minds which way to turn, much less pass someone. Might also comment that with the lack of passing that F1 is more like a parade than a race.

    Oh, I’m still an F1 fan, always have been, always will be. But these days I’m just less tolerant of elitism and snobbery, both of which F1 has too much of.

    Perhaps instead of folks commenting on something of which they know nothing, it would be bestter for them to not comment at all.

    Just my opinion, for what it’s worth.

  48. Greatest headline ever!

  49. jraybay-lewismclarenfan
    13th January 2010, 16:49

    I love piquet sr and I wish nelson could continue in formula 1 and keep the piquet name strong. Unfortunately now he is in nascar where he will go nowhere. theres only like 3 or 4 good teams in there competing. the rest are just advertisements in motion. Penske, hendrick, roush, and gibbs… maybe stewart/ haas too. who is piquet racing for?

  50. In a racing series where you often hear “if you’re not cheating you’re not trying,” Nelson “Don’t call me junior” Piquet will fit in perfectly. The whole Singapore crash proved that he has not integrity.

  51. Do you not think it will be intriguing in his new role, every single blunder he makes in NASCAR (lets face it, in a season there are bound to be several) there will always be a hint of “Oooh, did he do that on purpose?”

    In the same way a bearded lady is a boon to a travelling circus, I think Piquet Jnr adds to the the circus that is F1.

  52. I’m a little perplexed as to what exactly young Piquet has stood accused of to be pilloried by so many on this forum and especially by those long term F1 fans who one supposes know F1 intimately and know better.

    Yes he crashes into a wall, safely demonstrating great driving skill in the process and achieving his objective by neither endangering himself or anyone else on the circuit.

    But what was he really guilty of, certainly not cheating if only because cheating is part of F1’s DNA. In fact in the early days of motor-sport it was condoned if only because it was endemic (as it still is), latterly (once F1 was awash with cash) it became more litigious in an effort to give teams further advantage but they still retained their commitment to achieve any advantage through means fair or foul. Few that profess to know anything about F1 would dispute that ‘cheating’ providing one doesn’t get caught is at the foundation of F1.

    In essence anyone looking to a ‘clean year’ in F1 would be expecting a ‘first’ and abjectly fail to understand that ethics in F1 are of a completely different order to everyday life or sport (which F1 certainly is not) in general.

    Getting caught? no, that wasn’t the case either as NP (who I know from people who frequently met him at Renault describe him as one of the most affable charming and straight forward people you could wish to meet) actually raised the issue.

    NP was guilty of naivety, common amongst the inexperienced, but let no-one assume that the boy hasn’t the ability given the right machinery and support to emulate some of the winners in F1.

    Piquet’s airing of F1’s dirty linen in public was an anathema to teams fearful of being exposed as cheats with all that entails by disgruntled employees now treat young Piquet as a pariah as an example to others, therein lies the rub by being guided by dad and doing the right thing instead of keeping his mouth young Piquet sealed his fate in F1.

    Should he be castigated to this extent when all he wanted was to secure a future but was let down by a team who should have known better, certainly not, in the real world (not the F1 world) that’s still grossly unfair

  53. Apart from when he didn’t crash , which was more often than not , he was driving fine , maybe in a top car he could have done the business . Lacked consistency. Driving in some other series , like Nascar , can only benefit him if just from a maturity point of view , then if he gets a chance back in F1 later and in a good car , we could see the Piquet name shine yet again.

  54. Wow! I’m surprised at the headline to this piece. Good luck to Nelson and I wish him all the best…

  55. @dsob.

    My comments are not snobbery at all, all I am pointing out is that Piquet Jnr is seriously mistaken if he thinks going to NASCAR is going to be an easy alternative. As for the ‘punchup’ comment, you only have to look at some of the track records of some NASCAR drivers. Tony Stewart for example, is well known for throwing a nice left hook when he feels like it, on more than one occasion. A recent survey in America which asked the majority of NASCAR fans why they fell in love with the sport was very interesting. The 1979 Daytona 500 won hands down, in which the resulting last lap crash involving the lead drivers led to one of the biggest fights in stock car history. Certainly the most infamous, which went along way to increasing the sports popularity among American race fans.
    If you saw the Miami Homestead race a few months ago, inwhich Tony Stewart and Juan Montoya went at each other for lap after lap, can you tell me when that has happened at anytime in recent F1 history. The answer is no! That is not snobbery, that is fact!
    F1 is far more restrictive on what it allows its drivers to do on the racetrack, that can be looked as a positive or a negative. For a start, if the Stewart/Montoya slug fest had been conducted in F1 cars, without question someone would be atleast visiting the hospital. The two sports a very different, but NASCAR is a far more raw and relaxed enviroment.
    I remember Montoya back in 2002 just tapping Schumacher’s front wing, and he recieved a drive through penalty. That would be an everyday occurance in stock cars, run of the mill. So, in a nutshell, the boy Nelson has alot to learn. The name Piquet, which used to mean something in F1, will mean nothing in Alabama or North Carolina. As Juan Montoya learnt fast, respect has to been earnt and it is never easy, no matter what series you compete in!

  56. where i come from SNITCHES GET STITCHES piquetjr is just a RAT nothing more nothing less he will fit into nascar well i can whine an cry with the best of them

  57. Funny to see so many people take a moral high ground. I don’t think you can blame a driver for doing what his superior told him to do. If this is cheating, then every single pit-ordered overtaking in F1 history is cheating too.

    The only thing I’d rebuke him for is grinding mud all over his father’s name and achievements as the best F1 driver to come out of Brazil.

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