View source for Nelson Piquet

{{Short description|Brazilian racing driver (born 1952)}}
{{About|the former Formula One World Champion|his son, also a racing driver|Nelson Piquet Jr.|other uses|Nelson Piquet (disambiguation)}}
{{Portuguese name|Piquet|Souto Maior}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=November 2025}}
{{Infobox person
| name          = Nelson Piquet
| image         = Cerimonia de entrega da medalha Brasília 60 anos - 16.jpg
| caption       = Piquet in 2022
| birth_name    = Nelson Piquet Souto Maior
| birth_date    = {{Birth date and age|1952|8|17|df=y}}
| birth_place   = [[Rio de Janeiro]], Brazil
| spouse        = {{plainlist|
* {{marriage|Maria Clara|1977|1978|end=div}}
* {{marriage|Sylvia Tamsma|1978|1993|end=div}}
* {{marriage|Viviane de Souza Leão|1998}}
}}
| children      = 6, including [[Nelson Piquet Jr.|Nelson Jr.]], [[Kelly Piquet|Kelly]] and [[Pedro Piquet|Pedro]]
| module        = {{Infobox F1 driver|embed=yes
| nationality   = {{flagicon|BRA|1968}} [[Formula One drivers from Brazil|Brazilian]]
| Years         = {{F1|1978}}–{{F1|1991}}
| Team(s)       = [[Ensign (racing team)|Ensign]], [[BS Fabrications]], [[Brabham]], [[Williams Racing|Williams]], [[Team Lotus|Lotus]], [[Benetton Formula|Benetton]]
| Races         = 207 (204 starts)
| Championships = 3 ({{F1|1981}}, {{F1|1983}}, {{F1|1987}})
| Wins          = 23
| Podiums       = 60
| Points        = 481.5 (485.5){{efn|name="droppedpoints"}}
| Poles         = 24
| Fastest laps  = 23
| First race    = [[1978 German Grand Prix]]
| First win     = [[1980 United States Grand Prix West]]
| Last win      = [[1991 Canadian Grand Prix]]
| Last race     = [[1991 Australian Grand Prix]]
}}
| module2       = {{Infobox Le Mans driver|embed=yes
| Years         = {{24hLM|1996}}–{{24hLM|1997}}
| Teams         = [[BMW Motorsport|BMW]]
| Best Finish   = 8th <small>({{24hLM|1996}})</small>
| Class Wins    = 0
}}
}}

'''Nelson Piquet Souto Maior''' ({{IPA|pt-br|ˈnɛwsõ piˈke}}, born 17 August 1952) is a Brazilian former [[racing driver]] and businessman, who competed in [[Formula One]] from {{F1|1978}} to {{F1|1991}}. Piquet won three [[Formula One World Drivers' Championship titles]], which he won in {{F1|1981}}, {{F1|1983}}, and {{F1|1987}}, and won 23 [[Formula One Grands Prix|Grands Prix]] across 14 seasons.

Piquet had a brief career in tennis before losing interest in the sport and subsequently took up karting and hid his identity to prevent his father discovering his hobby. He became the Brazilian national karting champion in 1971–72 and won the Formula Vee Brazil championship in 1976. With advice from [[Emerson Fittipaldi]], Piquet went to Europe to further success by taking the record number of wins in Formula Three in 1978, beating [[Jackie Stewart]]'s all-time record.

In the same year, he made his Formula One debut with the Ensign team and drove for McLaren and Brabham. In 1979, Piquet moved to the Brabham team and finished the runner-up in 1980 before winning the championship in 1981. Piquet in 1982 was hampered by severe engine unreliability, but he saw a resurgence for 1983 and his second world championship. For 1984–85, Piquet had once again lost chances to win the championship but managed to score three wins during that period. He moved to the Williams team in 1986 and was a title contender until the final round in Australia. Piquet took his third and final championship in 1987 during a heated battle with teammate [[Nigel Mansell]] which left the pair's relationship sour. Piquet subsequently moved to Lotus for 1988–89 where he experienced his third drop in form. He eventually went to the Benetton team for 1990–91 where he managed to win three races before retiring.<ref>{{cite web|title=Nelson Piquet Profile|url= http://www.grandprix.com/gpe/drv-piqnel.html|publisher=grandprix.com|access-date=12 August 2012}}</ref>

After retiring from Formula One, Piquet tried his hand at the [[Indianapolis 500]] for two years. He also had a go at sports car racing at various points during and after his Formula One career. Piquet is currently retired and runs several businesses in Brazil. Piquet has faced [[#Controversies|several controversies]] since the 1980s—predominantly for his use of [[homophobic]] language—and was banned from the Formula One paddock in 2022. The ban was lifted in 2024.

==Early life and career==
Piquet was born 17 August 1952, in [[Rio de Janeiro]], then the capital of Brazil, the son of Estácio Gonçalves Souto Maior (1913–1974), a Brazilian physician. His father moved his family to the new capital, [[Brasília]], in 1960 and became Minister for Health in [[João Goulart]]'s government (1961–1964).<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.familiascearenses.com.br/images/CARDOSO.pdf |archive-url=https://wayback.archive-it.org/all/20081003062556/http://familiascearenses.com.br/images/cardoso.pdf |url-status=dead |archive-date=3 October 2008 |title=Artes Digitais Ltda. |access-date=23 December 2007 |publisher=Artes Digitais Ltda. |language=pt }}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.cpdoc.fgv.br/nav_jgoulart/htm/biografias/Estacio_Goncalves_Souto_Maior.asp |title=Estácio Gonçalves Souto Maior |access-date=23 December 2007 |publisher=Centro de Pesquisa e Documentação de História Contemporâna do Brasil (FGV/CPDOC) |language=pt |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070927003451/http://www.cpdoc.fgv.br/nav_jgoulart/htm/biografias/Estacio_Goncalves_Souto_Maior.asp |archive-date=27 September 2007 |url-status=dead }}</ref> Piquet had two brothers, Alexis and Geraldo, and a sister Genusa. Piquet was the youngest of the children.<ref>{{cite book|last=Kärrkäinen|first=Juha|title=Formula 1 Stars|year=1997|page=108|publisher=Teekkarien autopalvelu |isbn=952-5089-18-5}}</ref>

His father wanted Piquet to be a professional tennis player and was given a scholarship at a school in the [[United States]], in [[Atlanta]]. Piquet started playing tennis at the age of 11. He won tournaments in Brazil and eventually took a trip to [[California]] to test his skill against tougher American players. During his time, he had learned to speak English and greatly matured. His short tennis career saw Piquet to be prized as a good player but not thought sufficiently exciting for the sport, which led him to devote his career to motor racing.<ref name=piquet>{{cite news|last=Zurkowsky|first=Herb|title=Nelson Piquet defied father to race|url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=4oAxAAAAIBAJ&pg=2518,2645430&dq=nelson+piquet&hl=en|newspaper=Montreal Gazette|date=26 September 1981|page=105}}</ref>

Piquet started [[kart racing]] at the age of 14,<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.ddavid.com/formula1/piquet_bio.htm |title=Nelson Piquet |access-date=23 December 2007 |publisher=Grand Prix Hall of Fame |archive-date=21 February 2008 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080221235755/http://www.ddavid.com/formula1/piquet_bio.htm |url-status=dead }}</ref> but because his father did not approve of his racing career, he used his mother's maiden name Piquet (of French origin) misspelt as Piket to hide his identity.

Piquet dropped out of a university two years into an engineering course in 1974. He was subsequently employed in a garage to finance his career, since he had no financial support from his family.<ref name=piquet />

Upon returning to Brazil, Piquet and three friends bought a 20&nbsp;hp cart and participated in Brazilian [[Kart racing|go-karting]] (1971 and 1972 national champion) and in the local [[Formula Super Vee]] 1976 championship, in which he easily won that season. On the advice of [[Emerson Fittipaldi]], the first Brazilian Formula One world champion who sold the chassis for the Brazilian [[Formula Vee]] champion car with [[Wilson Fittipaldi Júnior|his brother]],<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.formula1.com/teams_and_drivers/hall_of_fame/181/ |title= Hall of Fame: Nelson Piquet |access-date=24 December 2007 |publisher=Formula One official website}}</ref> he arrived in European motor sports hailed as a prodigy. In the 1978 [[British Formula 3 Championship|British Formula 3]] season he broke Jackie Stewart's record of the most wins in a season.<ref name=piquet />

==Formula One==
Piquet made his [[Formula One]] debut for [[Ensign (racing team)|Ensign]] in [[1978 German Grand Prix|Germany]], starting 21st only to retire on lap 31 with a broken engine. After the race, Piquet drove a [[McLaren]] of [[BS Fabrications]] in the next three races, where he left good impressions. The deal was negotiated when BS Fabrications employees met Piquet when he was driving at [[Brands Hatch]]. His best finish was ninth in [[1978 Italian Grand Prix|Italy]].<ref>{{cite book|last=Oliver|first=Michael|title=Tales from the Toolbox: A Collection of Behind-the-Scenes Tales from Grand Prix mechanics|year=2009|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=mxtB_NobUSEC&q=Nelson+Piquet+&pg=PA122|publisher=Veloce Books|page=122|isbn=9781845845582}}</ref>

===Brabham (1978–1985)===
For the last race in 1978, Piquet moved to the [[Brabham]] team; he qualified in 14th and finished 11th. Piquet stayed with Brabham until [[1985 Formula One season|1985]].

====1979====
In 1979, Piquet competed in his first full season in Formula One. He once again drove for the Brabham team, alongside double world champion, [[Niki Lauda]]. The season was difficult for the team, which was accustomed to success. Piquet retired from eleven of the fifteen races in the season. He started off his season being involved in a first-lap pile up and getting injured at the [[1979 Argentine Grand Prix|Argentine Grand Prix]] in [[Autodromo Oscar Galvez|Buenos Aires]] and crashing into [[Clay Regazzoni]]'s Williams car at the [[1979 Brazilian Grand Prix|Brazilian Grand Prix]] at [[Autodromo Jose Carlos Pace|Interlagos]]. The first points of his career came at the [[1979 Dutch Grand Prix|Dutch Grand Prix]], where he finished fourth. He had a huge accident at the [[1979 Italian Grand Prix|Italian Grand Prix]]; the rear section of his BT48 was completely ripped off at Monza's Curva Grande corner after another incident with Regazzoni; Piquet walked away uninjured. But even though the races saw him crash a few times, or retire with a semi-competitive car that had an unreliable engine, in qualifying Piquet performed well, qualifying in the top five several times – often out-qualifying Lauda. Two weeks after the Italian round, Lauda abruptly quit driving before the start of the [[1979 Canadian Grand Prix|Canadian Grand Prix]], leaving Piquet as the number one driver for Brabham, and leaving him and new recruit [[Ricardo Zunino]] to debut the new BT49, which had a Ford-Cosworth DFV engine; Brabham ditched the Alfa Romeo V12's in protest to Alfa Romeo entering as a full works team.<ref Name="Kärkkäinen s.110">{{cite book|last=Kärkkäinen|first=Juha |title = Formula 1 stars|year = 1997|page = 110 |publisher = Alfamer |isbn= 952-5089-18-5}}</ref> In the final race, the [[1979 United States Grand Prix|United States Grand Prix]] at [[Watkins Glen International|Watkins Glen]], Piquet started from the front row and took the fastest lap in the race, clearly showing the new BT49's considerable potential.

====1980====
[[File:Piquet at 1980 Dutch Grand Prix.jpg|thumb|Piquet driving for Brabham at the [[1980 Dutch Grand Prix]]]]
In 1980, Piquet finished a hard-fought 2nd in Argentina behind Alan Jones; the race was held in very hot conditions on a disintegrating track. There were doubts about the legality of the car as it was believed to be underweight. Jones went to see the car which gave the suspicion that ballast had been added to bring the car within the regulations to make it legal.<ref>{{cite book | author = John Cancellieri-Cesare De Agostini | title = 33 years of Grand Prix championship-Vol.II | publisher = Conti Editore | year = 1982 |page=302 }}</ref>
Piquet took his first win at the [[1980 United States Grand Prix West|United States Grand Prix West]] in Long Beach, California by over 50 seconds from [[Riccardo Patrese]].<ref>{{cite news|title=Brazil's Piquet is Grand Prix winner|newspaper=Lodi News-Sentinel|date=31 March 1980|page=17}}</ref><ref>Winner's Circle United States Grand Prix West, John Blakemore Photograph Collection, Revs Institute, [https://library.revsinstitute.org/digital/custom/single-image?id=494176&collection=p17257coll1 Revs Digital Library.]</ref> 5 months later, Piquet scored back to back wins in the Netherlands and Italy.<ref>Winner's Circle Dutch Grand Prix, John Blakemore Photograph Collection, Revs Institute, [https://library.revsinstitute.org/digital/custom/single-image?id=496424&collection=p17257coll1 Revs Digital Library.]</ref><ref>Winner's Circle Italian Grand Prix, John Blakemore Photograph Collection, Revs Institute, [https://library.revsinstitute.org/digital/custom/single-image?id=495099&collection=p17257coll1 Revs Digital Library.]</ref> He finished second in the drivers' standings, 13 points behind title winner [[Alan Jones (racing driver)|Alan Jones]].<ref>{{cite web|title=Alan Jones beats Nelson Piquet to the title|url=http://en.espnf1.com/f1/motorsport/story/6333.html|publisher=ESPN|year=1980}}</ref> In Canada, Piquet and Jones had contact off the start and Piquet's car was damaged and caused a major crash resulting in the race being red flagged. Jones, his Championship rival, continued in the race and joined the restart in the same car. Piquet switched to his qualifying car which had a special engine that was not set up to go the distance, so Piquet retired and Jones won the race and the World Championship from Piquet.<ref>{{cite book | author = Alan Jones/Andrew Clarke | title = AJ: How Alan Jones Climbed to the top of Formula 1  | publisher = Penguin Random House | year = 2017 |pages=220, 233 }}</ref>

====1981====
[[File:Piquetmonaco.jpg|thumb|right|Piquet driving the [[Cosworth DFV|Cosworth]] powered [[Brabham BT49|Brabham BT49C]] at the [[1981 Monaco Grand Prix]].]]
The season began with the revocation of the [[1981 South African Grand Prix|South African Grand Prix]]'s status as an FIA-sanctioned event due to the ongoing [[FISA–FOCA war]]. With the FISA teams boycotting the race, the FOCA teams staged a non-championship race there in South Africa held in wet conditions which was won by [[Carlos Reutemann]] with Piquet second.<ref>{{cite book|last=Cesare De Agostini|first=John-Chancellors|title=33 years of Grand Prix championship-Vol.II |publisher = Accounts Editor|year=1982 |page=323}}</ref> FISA and FOCA reached an agreement banning movable skirts and requiring a minimum ground clearance, excluding the tyres, of 6&nbsp;cm.

After a third place in the [[1981 United States Grand Prix West|United States Grand Prix West]], Piquet qualified on pole position in his home race, the [[1981 Brazilian Grand Prix|Brazilian Grand Prix]] in his birth city of [[Rio de Janeiro]], but quickly faded from contention after starting the race on slick tyres on a soaking wet track. At the next race, the [[1981 Argentine Grand Prix|Argentine Grand Prix]] in [[Buenos Aires]], Brabham got around the ground-clearance rule by devising a suspension system that kept the car at the required height during technical inspection but lowered it onto the ground at speed, allowing it to race once again as a wing car. The superiority of the car was such that Piquet easily swept to victory and even his less experienced Mexican teammate [[Héctor Rebaque]], who could usually be found well down the order, managed to retain second place until he was forced to retire. At the [[1981 San Marino Grand Prix|San Marino Grand Prix]], almost all the teams adopted the innovation brought to Argentina by Brabham. Piquet won the race despite being caught out by rain.

In the [[1981 Belgian Grand Prix|Belgian Grand Prix]] at Zolder, after an initial start which was aborted due to an accident involving [[Siegfried Stohr]], his teammate [[Riccardo Patrese]] and mechanic Dave Luckett who inexplicably remained on the track at the start to restart Patrese's stalled car, Piquet went off again in the lead only to have Jones make contact on lap 10 forcing him to retire,<ref>{{cite book|last=Cesare De Agostini|first=John-Chancellors|title = 33 years of Grand Prix championship Vol.II-|publisher = Accounts Editor|year = 1982 |page=328 }}</ref> with the race being won by Reutemann. After crashing in Monaco and Spain, Piquet was able to recover at the [[1981 French Grand Prix|French Grand Prix]] at Dijon where he dominated until lap 58, when a sudden storm led to a red flag and the organizers decided to wait until the rain stopped to continue the race. At the restart 45 minutes later, [[Alain Prost]] appeared much more competitive after putting on slicks on a drying track, with some mechanical work performed during the break, and won his first Grand Prix with Piquet relegated to third place, behind Prost and McLaren's John Watson.<ref>{{cite news|last=Piquet|first=Gian Paolo |title=mockery and triumph of Lucchinelli|date=6 July 1981 |page=11}}</ref> In the next race, the [[1981 British Grand Prix|British Grand Prix]], Reutemann finished second to open up a seventeen-point lead in the standings while Piquet suffered tyre failure and crashed on the straight between Stowe and Club corners.

Piquet won the championship with a great comeback that began when he won the [[1981 German Grand Prix|German Grand Prix]] at [[Hockenheimring|Hockenheim]] while Reutemann was enduring internal conflict with his teammate Alan Jones.<ref>{{cite book|last=Cesare De Agostini|first=John-Chancellors|title = 33 years of Grand Prix championship-Vol.II|publisher = Accounts Editor|year=1982 |page=333 }}</ref><ref>Winner's Circle German Grand Prix, John Blakemore Photograph Collection, Revs Institute, [https://library.revsinstitute.org/digital/custom/single-image?id=503957&collection=p17257coll1 Revs Digital Library.]</ref> After stringing together a series of decent results (even after losing second in Italy due to engine failure on the last lap) whilst Reutemann only scored a few times, Piquet went into the last race of the season only a point behind Reutemann. At the [[1981 Caesars Palace Grand Prix|Caesars Palace Grand Prix]] in [[Las Vegas]], Piquet finished fifth to clinch the championship as Reutemann finished out of the points. Piquet was so dehydrated from the desert heat and exhausted from the anti-clockwise nature of the track that he vomited on himself during the race and had to be lifted out of his car when he returned to the pits.<ref name=piquetbbc>{{cite web|last=Benson|first=Andrew|title=Formula 1's greatest drivers. Number 16: Nelson Piquet|url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/formula1/17871420|publisher=BBC Sport (BBC)|date=8 May 2012|access-date=8 January 2013}}</ref>

====1982====
The following year, Piquet was fast but his car proved to be unreliable despite Brabham entering into an alliance with BMW to supply the team with turbocharged engines that although were powerful, were also very unreliable and were the main reason why the car retired from so many races. Aside from the first Grand Prix in South Africa Brabham started the season using the Ford-Cosworth engined BT49D. Piquet won the [[1982 Brazilian Grand Prix|Brazilian Grand Prix]] in Rio de Janeiro; the extreme heat and immense adhesion of the cars meant that Piquet and other drivers suffered from exhaustion; Piquet fainted while collecting his trophy on the podium. Piquet was later disqualified for his car being underweight from a protest from Renault and Ferrari.<ref>{{cite news|title=Piquet, Rosberg disqualified|url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=HlIfAAAAIBAJ&pg=4076,2002507&dq=nelson+piquet&hl=en|newspaper=Daytona Beach Morning Journal|date=20 April 1982|page=7B}}</ref> Piquet did not drive the BMW-engined BT50 until Belgium, and the low point of the season was Detroit where he failed to qualify due to an engine failure in qualifying. The ruling of Piquet's disqualification led to a political attack on the lowering of the minimum weight against Ferrari and Renault who used turbo engines. Ferrari's changes to the rear wing at the [[1982 United States Grand Prix West|United States Grand Prix West]] and the disqualification of Gilles Villeneuve after the race caused the FOCA teams to boycott the [[1982 San Marino Grand Prix|San Marino Grand Prix]].

His only win was in the [[1982 Canadian Grand Prix|Canadian Grand Prix]] which was also [[BMW in Formula One|BMW]]'s first win in Formula One. In [[1982 German Grand Prix|Germany]], Piquet arrived to help [[Didier Pironi]] after he suffered a career-ending high-speed crash during practice. In the race, Piquet was leading until he collided with [[Eliseo Salazar]] whom he physically attacked at the side of the track on live television.
[[File:Piquet a Monza 1983.JPG|thumb|right|Piquet at Monza in 1983]]

====1983====
Piquet won the opening race in Brazil in the arrow-shaped BT52 and followed this up with a retirement in the United States West Grand Prix.<ref>Winner's Circle Brazilian Grand Prix, John Blakemore Photograph Collection, Revs Institute, [https://library.revsinstitute.org/digital/custom/single-image?id=509973&collection=p17257coll1 Revs Digital Library.]</ref> He scored a second place in France and took another second at Monaco also taking the fastest lap. He was 14 points behind [[Alain Prost]] with three races left in the season but took back-to-back victories at [[1983 Italian Grand Prix|Monza]]<ref>{{cite news|title=Italian win puts Piquet in bidding|url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=0Tk0AAAAIBAJ&pg=3584,195618&dq=nelson+piquet&hl=en|newspaper=Ottawa Citizen|date=12 September 1983|page=34}}</ref> and [[1983 European Grand Prix|Brands Hatch]]<ref>{{cite web|title=Piquet Captures Prix of Europe|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1983/09/26/sports/piquet-captures-prix-of-europe.html|work=The New York Times|date=26 September 1983}}</ref> to close to within two points. At the season-ending [[1983 South African Grand Prix|South African Grand Prix]], Prost retired on lap 35 and Piquet cruised to a third-place finish, winning his second world title. It also was the first time a turbocharged car won the championship, and was BMW's first and only championship in Formula 1.

====1984====
With the new rule that limited the capacity of the tanks of the cars to 220 liters and forbade race refueling, Piquet started as the title favorite<ref>{{cite news | author = Adriano Costa | title = Sorry Piquet, afraid us? | publisher = Maxi [[Autosprint]] |date=6 March 1984 | page = 2}}</ref> because it was thought that the 4-cylinder BMW would suffer less from the new fuel economy requirement than the 6-cylinder competition. The winter tests seemed to confirm the expectations, and in fact the car showed promise,<ref>{{cite news | title = All days of the 'six days' of South Africa | publisher = [[Autosprint]] |date=6 March 1984 |page = 16}}</ref> but the expected results never materialised. The only good thing that came from the tests was the creation of special qualifying engines, which produced more than 900 [[horsepower|hp]] and allowed Piquet to match what was then the record for pole positions in a year: nine, already held by Lauda and [[Ronnie Peterson]].
[[File:Piquet Brabham BT53 1984 Dallas F1.jpg|thumb|Piquet driving a [[Brabham BT53]] in the [[1984 Dallas Grand Prix]].]]

The season was dominated by the [[McLaren]] team who were using TAG-Porsche engines. In Canada, the Brabham team introduced a curious additional radiator on the nose that was mounted on the car that improved reliability.<ref>Canadian Grand Prix, John Blakemore Photograph Collection, Revs Institute, [https://library.revsinstitute.org/digital/custom/single-image?id=524947&collection=p17257coll1 Revs Digital Library.]</ref> Piquet won the race (after having retired from the previous 6 races, mostly through engine or turbo failure), but the additional radiator heated to the point that Piquet suffered burns on his right foot when pushing the accelerator pedal down; The heat had actually burnt a hole through his boots and he went to the podium barefoot after receiving first aid.<ref>Canadian Grand Prix, John Blakemore Photograph Collection, Revs Institute, [https://library.revsinstitute.org/digital/custom/single-image?id=524567&collection=p17257coll1 Revs Digital Library.]</ref> He managed take a back-to-back win at Detroit after driving his backup car due to an accident that occurred at the start of the race.<ref>{{cite news|title=Piquet survives crash to capture title|url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=v2xQAAAAIBAJ&pg=4625,2369976&dq=nelson+piquet&hl=en|newspaper=The Evening Independent|date=25 June 1984|page=5C}}</ref>  These were his only two victories of the year. In [[1984 Austrian Grand Prix|Spielberg]] he could have won as the car of leading [[Niki Lauda]] suffered a loss of gears, but Piquet was unaware and did not attack.<ref>[http://sport.orf.at/stories/2209845/2209844/ Sieg ebnete Weg zum dritten WM-Titel], orf.at, 18 June 2014.</ref> Piquet finished in 5th place in the championship.

====1985====
[[File:Piquet - Brabham-BMW BT 54 1985-08-02.jpg|thumb|left|Piquet driving the [[BMW in Formula One|BMW]] powered [[Brabham BT54]] at the [[1985 German Grand Prix]] in his last year with the team.]]
Prior to the {{f1|1985}} season, Piquet and Brabham conducted their winter testing at the [[Kyalami]] circuit in [[South Africa]], along with the team's new tyre supplier [[Pirelli]]. It was through this testing that Pirelli came up with the tyre compounds they would use during the season. Unfortunately, unlike the hot conditions in South Africa, most of the European part of the season took place in unseasonably cold weather. This, and the [[Brabham BT54]]'s weight distribution towards the back of the car saw the Pirelli tyres (especially the fronts) largely ineffective and left Piquet often fast, but ultimately uncompetitive.

In 1985, Piquet won a single race, the [[1985 French Grand Prix|French Grand Prix]] at the [[Paul Ricard Circuit]] with summer conditions similar to those experienced in testing suiting the tyres, and the powerful BMW turbo engine propelling the [[Brabham BT54]] (of teammate [[Marc Surer]]) to the then F1 speed record of {{Convert|338|km/h|mph|0|abbr=on}} on the {{cvt|1.8|km}} long Mistral Straight during qualifying. It was Pirelli's first victory since returning to Formula One.

However, Piquet was becoming frustrated. He felt as if his loyalty to Brabham was being taken advantage of - his salary was lower than other drivers despite his success with the team - and he was not being informed of some team decisions. The switch to Pirelli tyres had been particularly upsetting: he felt it had been done purely for financial reasons and placed inordinate commitments on him for tyre testing. He was also concerned about financial security when he retired, citing the difficulties faced by Brazilian footballers [[Pelé]] and [[Garrincha]] after their professional careers ended. However, he was well integrated with the team and enjoyed close relationships with [[Gordon Murray]] and his mechanics, making him reluctant to leave.<ref name="Nigel Roebuck Legends">{{cite magazine|title=Nelson Piquet: Nigel Roebuck's Legends|magazine=Motor Sport|page=14|first=Nigel|last=Roebuck|author-link=Nigel Roebuck|date=November 1997|access-date=13 May 2021|url=https://www.motorsportmagazine.com/archive/article/november-1997/14/legends-14}}</ref>

He had been in contact with [[McLaren]],<ref>{{cite news|language = it|author = Charles and Prost|title= Where is the difference?|work=la Repubblica|date = 6 August 1985|page = 27}}</ref> but was discouraged by the PR duties that came with it: ''"(Ron Dennis) mentioned so many days a year working for Marlboro... I lost interest. I won't waste my life talking to people who don't understand racing.''"<ref name="Nigel Roebuck Legends"/> Williams offered him a contract worth three times his Brabham contract, and with the turbocharged [[Honda F1|Honda]] engine quickly becoming one of the best on the grid, it was an offer too good to refuse. After some thought, he reluctantly left Brabham after seven seasons and two world championships with Honda agreeing to buy Piquet out of his Brabham contract.

===Williams (1986–1987)===

====1986====
A move in {{f1|1986}} to [[WilliamsF1|Williams]] saw Piquet becoming the teammate of one of his fiercest rivals, [[Nigel Mansell]]. It was reported that [[Honda Racing F1|Honda]] were paying the bulk of his US$3.3 million contract. When Piquet had signed for Williams at 1985 Austrian Grand Prix, Piquet did not regard Mansell as a serious threat, as the Briton had not won a race yet in his fifth year in Formula One (and would win his first race a month later). Piquet had underestimated Mansell, and the Englishman came out of 1985 on a confidence high after winning 2 of the last 3 races in 1985. Both were regarded as high-strung characters with delicate temperaments, and two top drivers in the same team was a recipe for fireworks – and sure enough Mansell and Piquet went head to head for the title. Piquet had wanted to play the role as the number one driver. According to Piquet, the verbal agreement with [[Frank Williams (Formula One)|Frank Williams]] on this point was clear, and Williams's comment that in signing Piquet he had "signed the best driver in the world" seemed to back that up. However, shortly before the beginning of the season, Frank Williams suffered a serious car accident that kept him away from the team for a long time and caused a permanent physical disability. The team was then led by technical director [[Patrick Head]], who was also Mansell's race engineer.<ref>Autosprint n ° 26/86, p. 9.</ref>

Though the two drove what were clearly the best cars on the grid, their rivalry caused each to deprive the other of points, allowing [[Alain Prost]] to win one of the closest and most fiercely disputed championships ever in Formula One. The season began well with Piquet dominating the [[1986 Brazilian Grand Prix|Brazilian Grand Prix]] and at the next the race, the [[1986 San Marino Grand Prix|San Marino Grand Prix]], Piquet finished second behind Prost. During the season, fellow Brazilian and former dual-World Champion [[Emerson Fittipaldi]] estimated that Piquet could not commit more driving errors early in the season when he was judged as the best driver in the field.

Piquet (and reportedly Honda) left [[Adelaide]] following the [[1986 Australian Grand Prix|Australian Grand Prix]], fuming that Williams had not honoured their contract and had allowed Mansell to win races instead of ordering him to let the Brazilian by. Had Mansell let Piquet pass to take some extra wins, Piquet could have easily won the championship, instead of the two of them being beaten by Prost in what was an inferior car (though Prost did manage 11 podium finishes, including 4 wins). In this season Piquet won more races (a total of four) than he would in any of his championship-winning campaigns.

====1987====
Piquet made amends in {{f1|1987}}, using political maneuvering and technical skill to gain the upper hand. He was also a very good testing and development driver, and was able to develop the Williams car further to make it even more competitive. At times during the season, the rift between himself and Mansell was evident, as Mansell was showing superior speed in qualifying and races. Piquet had also admitted to "not ever being quite right" after his qualifying crash for Round 2 at [[1987 San Marino Grand Prix|Imola]]. He was ordered by [[FIA|FISA's]] medical chief, [[Sid Watkins]], not to race due to the concussion he suffered when his Williams hit the wall at high speed at the Tamburello curve.<ref>{{cite web|title=Obituary – Professor Sid Watkins OBE, 1928–2012|url=http://www.formula1.com/news/features/2012/9/13797.html|publisher=Formula One|date=14 September 2012|access-date=20 October 2012|archive-date=17 October 2012|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121017113258/http://www.formula1.com/news/features/2012/9/13797.html|url-status=dead}}</ref> He was offered by [[RAI]] to join [[Mario Poltronieri]] and [[Clay Regazzoni]] to comment on the race.<ref>{{cite book| author = Andrea De Adamich, Oscar Orefici | title = F1 '87 | year = 1987 | publisher = Vallardi & Associates | page=156 }}</ref> Piquet, who had maintained friendly relations within the commentary box, sent [[Ezio Zermiani]].<ref>{{Cite news| url =http://www.quattroruote.it/news/articolo.cfm?codice=57152| archive-url =https://archive.today/20120908002118/http://www.quattroruote.it/news/articolo.cfm?codice=57152| url-status =dead| archive-date =8 September 2012| title =Zermiani retires| publisher =quattroruote.it| date =3 July 2006| access-date =21 August 2010}}</ref> Piquet accepted improvising as a commentator, but beyond the short journalistic experience, Piquet complained at year-end about the fact that the incident had left strong psychological effects in its aftermath which had caused insomnia.

It became obvious that the continued development of the [[Williams FW11|FW11]] meant that it was clearly the best car that year, and the 1987 championship was going to be disputed between Piquet and Mansell. Despite winning fewer races than Mansell in 1987, Piquet emerged as world champion. From [[1987 Detroit Grand Prix|Detroit]] to [[1987 Portuguese Grand Prix|Portugal]], he never finished off the podium, racking up points in what he called his "percentage driving policy" in his successful bid to win his third championship. Piquet announced during practice for the [[1987 Hungarian Grand Prix]] that he had signed with Lotus as the undisputed number one driver, a position he claimed was promised at Williams from 1986, but was never honored following [[Frank Williams (Formula One)|Frank Williams]]' car crash. It was also believed this was a big factor in Honda dropping Williams and moving to McLaren for 1988, despite another year left in the contract. The Japanese company, who paid most of Piquet's salary, considered him to be the number one and were privately fuming that Williams management did not rein in Mansell and allow Piquet an easier time.{{cn|date=June 2022}}

===Lotus (1988–1989)===
[[File:Nelson Piquet 1988 Canada.jpg|thumb|right|Piquet driving for [[Team Lotus|Lotus]] at the [[1988 Canadian Grand Prix]], leading [[Nigel Mansell]] in a [[WilliamsF1|Williams]].]]

====1988====
Piquet and the number 1 went to a stagnating [[Team Lotus|Lotus]] team in {{f1|1988}}, and his career took a nose dive despite the [[Camel (cigarette)|Camel]] sponsored [[Lotus 100T]] having the same specification [[Honda F1|Honda]] V6 turbo that powered the almost totally dominant [[McLaren]]s of Ayrton Senna and Alain Prost - the 100T was a very poor chassis that was riddled with aerodynamic issues, was constantly flexing and was not properly compatible with the engine. Piquet, who had 20 wins and three World Championships following the 1987 season, began to lose his reputation when he had no wins in 1988, losing his number one status to fellow Brazilian Senna, who won eight races and the championship for McLaren (Prost won seven races, while Piquet could only manage three third-place finishes for the season).

In early 1988, he used the media to attack his rivals and gained a reputation as an outspoken "loose cannon," such as attacking Mansell and his wife, calling Mansell "an uneducated blockhead" (and insulting his wife's looks), and calling fellow Brazilian Senna "the São Paulo taxi driver"<ref name=piquetbbc /> and stating that he "doesn't like women".<ref name=brazil>{{cite book|last=Chimits|first=Xavier|title=Grand Prix Racers: Portraits of Speed|date=15 May 2008|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=s7eQAJpPXCAC&q=Nelson+Piquet&pg=PA26|publisher=Motorbooks|pages=26–29|isbn=9780760334300}}{{Dead link|date=March 2023 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}</ref> Piquet retracted his comments when both threatened legal action. He also earned the ire of the [[Tifosi]] at the [[1988 San Marino Grand Prix|San Marino Grand Prix]] when he said in an interview with ''[[Playboy (Brazil)|Playboy]]'' that [[Scuderia Ferrari]] might do better as a team if the boss ([[Enzo Ferrari]]) was a younger man instead of the 90-year-old one who rarely attended races due to his age and failing health. Piquet claims he was badly misquoted in the interview, which also had him questioning Prost's standing as the best driver in the world. On the official FIA video review of the 1988 season, Piquet left no doubts that the article got it wrong in his comments about Ferrari (saying that at 90, Enzo Ferrari had to be a strong man to run a Formula One team), and that he considered Prost to be the world's best driver.

Before the start of the 1988 season, the [[Autódromo Internacional Nelson Piquet|Rio de Janeiro circuit]] was renamed in Piquet's honor.{{cn|date=August 2022}}

====1989====
Piquet had a disappointing 1989 season, driving a Judd V8-powered Lotus which had 125 less hp than the Honda V10s used by McLaren. He did, however, have an excellent (considering the Lotus car's limitations) fourth place in the [[1989 British Grand Prix|British Grand Prix]] at Silverstone where he overtook theoretically faster cars and was running third until [[Alessandro Nannini]] overtook him in the last few laps. He (and teammate [[Satoru Nakajima]]) once again had no wins and they both even failed to qualify for the [[1989 Belgian Grand Prix]], Piquet's first non-qualification since the [[1982 Detroit Grand Prix]]. On what was his last attempt to qualify at [[Circuit de Spa-Francorchamps|Spa]], Piquet lost his chance when he was slowed by rookie Frenchman [[Olivier Grouillard]], who had gained a reputation throughout the season as a blocker.

===Benetton (1990–1991)===

====1990====
[[File:Nelson Piquet 1990.jpg|thumb|Piquet in 1990]]
When Lotus informed Piquet during 1989 that they would be using the [[Lamborghini V12 engine]] for {{f1|1990}}, he decided to leave the team claiming that there had not been enough development of the V12 during its debut year with [[Larrousse]] in 1989 and that the team would be uncompetitive using the Italian engine.

The late season announcement by Lotus meant that there were almost no seats left with one of the top teams (McLaren, Ferrari and Williams), leaving Piquet with the unenviable possibility of not having a drive for 1990. However, the [[Benetton Formula|Benetton]] team had a seat become available when they decided not to retain fill-in driver [[Emanuele Pirro]]. After two lacklustre seasons at Lotus, Piquet was forced to sign an incentive based payment-by-results deal with Benetton, who had acquired the services of [[John Barnard]] for their 1990 car, the [[Benetton B190|B190]] and had exclusive use of the factory [[Cosworth|Ford-Cosworth HB4]] V8 engine. This saw Piquet return to something like his former top form in {{f1|1990}}.

Despite a handful of lacklustre performances and sometimes being outperformed by fast Italian teammate [[Alessandro Nannini]] who was forced into retirement before the [[1990 Spanish Grand Prix|Spanish Grand Prix]] (after his right forearm had to be surgically re-attached following a helicopter crash) Piquet scored two wins in the last two races of the season. The first in [[1990 Japanese Grand Prix|Japan]] was somewhat inherited after Senna had taken out Prost's [[Scuderia Ferrari|Ferrari]] at the first turn, and both Gerhard Berger (McLaren) and Mansell (Ferrari) retired. It was his first win since the 1987 Italian Grand Prix. The second was just two weeks later at the last race of the season in [[1990 Australian Grand Prix|Australia]] when after a great drive, Piquet survived a spirited, but fair, challenge from the [[V12 engine|V12]] [[Ferrari 641|Ferrari]] of Mansell to win what was the 500th World Championship Formula One Grand Prix. His 18 points from the last two races saw him move from seventh in the standings (26 points) to finishing third in the championship with 43. Piquet and Gerhard Berger both scored 43 points (Piquet had scored 44 but was forced to drop one point under the "Best 11" rule of the time), but Piquet's two wins, where Berger won none, saw him finish third.

====1991====
[[File:Piquet 1991.jpg|thumb|Piquet at the [[1991 United States Grand Prix]]]]
This was followed by the final win of his F1 career at [[1991 Canadian Grand Prix|Montreal]] in {{f1|1991}} – again at the expense of longtime rival Mansell, whose [[Williams FW14|Williams]]-[[Renault F1|Renault]] stalled past the old pits on the last lap while leading. In late 1991, Piquet's teammate [[Roberto Moreno]] was replaced by [[Michael Schumacher]], who remained for the rest of the season. He had talked to the Ligier and Ferrari teams about securing a drive, but Piquet then announced his retirement from Formula One in January 1992 to concentrate on his business activities.<ref>{{cite news|title=Three-time world champion Piquet quits Formula One|url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=DRFZAAAAIBAJ&pg=6678,1859309&dq=nelson+piquet&hl=en|newspaper=New Straits Times|date=15 January 1992|page=45}}</ref>

==Other racing ventures==

===Indianapolis 500 (1992–1993)===
Piquet attempted to race in the [[American Championship car racing|Indy car]] series and was hired by [[Team Menard]] to drive in the [[1992 Indianapolis 500]]. He had taken to the track well, and appeared comfortable driving at high speeds despite never before racing on an [[Oval track racing|oval]]. During practice, Piquet's car ran over a metallic piece of debris and drove through turn 3 at full speed. When driving through turn 4, Piquet abruptly took his foot off the pedal to enter the pit lane, which resulted in the car spinning and hitting the wall. Piquet suffered serious foot and ankle injuries and was forced to sit out the race.<ref>{{cite book|last=Davidson|first=Donald|author2=Schaffer, Rick|title=Autocourse Official Illustrated History of the Indianapolis 500|year=2006|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=CeCxyf0BpgUC&q=Nelson+Piquet&pg=PA270|publisher=Autocourse|page=270|isbn=9781905334209}}{{Dead link|date=March 2023 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}</ref> He returned after rehabilitation in [[1993 Indianapolis 500|1993]] and managed to qualify. He started in 13th position, but finished in 32nd, dropping out with engine problems after only 38 laps.

===Sports cars (1980-1981, 1996-1997 and 2006)===
[[File:BMW-M1 Piquet 1980-05-24.jpg|thumb|left|Piquet driving a [[BMW M1]] sports car at the [[Nürburgring]] in 1980.]]
Alongside Formula One, Piquet took part in the [[1000km Nürburgring]] in 1980 and 1981 driving a [[BMW M1]]. He won the 1981 race alongside the German [[Hans-Joachim Stuck]]. However, the race had to be stopped roughly two hours in because of the fatal crash of [[Herbert Müller (racing driver)|Herbert Müller]] after 17 laps of the 14-mile (23&nbsp;km) course.<ref>{{cite web|title=Die Sieger allergen ADAC 1000 km-rennen|url=http://www.1000km-nuerburgring.de/historie/|publisher=ADAC 1000 km rennen|date=23 April 2008|language=de}}{{dead link|date=February 2018 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}</ref>

In 1996, Piquet competed in the [[Le Mans 24 Hours]] driving a [[McLaren F1|McLaren F1 GTR]] alongside [[Johnny Cecotto]] and [[Danny Sullivan]], finishing eighth overall. In the following year, Piquet took part alongside [[JJ Lehto]] and [[Steve Soper]], but the car was retired due to an accident that occurred while Lehto was driving. That same year, in December, he won the [[Mil Milhas Brasil]]eiras driving the [[McLaren F1|McLaren F1 GTR]] with [[Johnny Cecotto]] and [[Steve Soper]].

On 20 January 2006, Piquet won the 50th edition of the [[Mil Milhas Brasil]]eiras (Brazilian 1,000 miles) at the [[Autódromo José Carlos Pace|Interlagos]] circuit. He drove an [[Aston Martin]] [[DBR9]] alongside his son, [[Nelson Piquet Jr.]], and drivers [[Christophe Bouchut]] and [[Hélio Castroneves]]. At the end of the race, an exhausted Piquet was quoted saying to a friend he would "never sit in a cockpit again."

===Driver management===
Since 2000, he has supported the career of his son, [[Nelson Piquet Jr.]], who drove in the F1-feeder category [[GP2 Series|GP2]] for 2 seasons, achieving a best championship result of second with four race wins, and was a test driver for Renault F1 in 2007.

During the [[Renault Formula One crash controversy|Crashgate]] scandal, Piquet pledged to use his wealth to find out why his son had been ordered by the [[Renault in Formula One|Renault]] team to crash deliberately during the [[2008 Singapore Grand Prix]]. He and his son were eventually paid a six-figure sum for costs and libel damages.<ref>{{cite web|last=Gibson|first=Owen|title=Renault apologise to Nelson Piquet and son over 'Crashgate' claims|url=https://www.theguardian.com/sport/2010/dec/07/renault-nelson-piquet-jr-crashgate|work=The Guardian|date=7 December 2010}}</ref>

==Helmet==
[[File:Nelson Piquet 1987 helmet Honda Collection Hall.jpg|thumb|Piquet's helmet in {{f1|1987}}.]]
Piquet's helmet is white and red with a thick line resembling the seam on a tennis ball (possibly due to his father wanting him to be a tennis player), and teardrop shapes filling in the round areas on the sides and top. The seam and teardrops were usually red or orange with black trim, but some parts were yellow during his Lotus years due to the Camel sponsorship, and reverted to a deep red when he left Lotus for Benetton. His sons Nelson Jr. and Pedro followed his helmet design.

==Business ventures==
Upon leaving motor sport, he founded [[Autotrac]] in 1992, a company that provides mobile data messaging and [[Tracking and tracing|tracking]] of customers' [[truck]]s by [[satellite]] ([[GPS tracking]]).<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.autotrac.com.br/cgi-bin/PageSvrexe.exe/Get?id_sec=27&idm=2 |title=Presentation |access-date=23 December 2007 |publisher=Autotrac |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080113040648/http://www.autotrac.com.br/cgi-bin/PageSvrexe.exe/Get?id_sec=27 |archive-date=13 January 2008 }}</ref> This business concluded quite successfully as the pioneer because the freight transportation of Brazil depended on trucks.

Piquet founded a racing team, [[Piquet Sports]], in 2000. The purpose was to help the participation of [[Nelson Piquet Jr.]] in [[Formula Three Sudamericana]]. It was founded eight months before Nelson Junior turned 16.<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://veja.abril.com.br/131004/p_082.html |title=O príncipe das pistas |access-date=23 December 2007 |publisher=Veja on-line |archive-date=6 February 2008 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080206105741/http://veja.abril.com.br/131004/p_082.html |url-status=dead }}</ref>

Piquet runs some other businesses, based in [[Brasília]].

Nelson Piquet's net worth is around US$200 million currently.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.desafiomundial.com/patrimonio-liquido-dos-pilotos-de-formula-1/14/ |title=Os Pilotos de Fórmula 1 Mais Ricos e Seu Patrimônio Líquido |date=15 February 2024 }}</ref>

==Personal life==
Known as a practical joker, Piquet lived a stereotypically [[playboy (lifestyle)|playboy]] racing driver lifestyle, earning and losing and earning again a series of small fortunes in his business dealings. He remains a competitive driver in [[sports car]] racing, albeit more for fun than with serious intent. Never a fan of street circuits (save for [[Adelaide Street Circuit|Adelaide]] in Australia), he was critical of the Monaco Grand Prix by famously stating Monaco was like "riding a bicycle around your living room," but that "a win there was worth two anywhere else."<ref>{{cite book|last=Williams|first=Nicola|title=Provence & the Côte d'Azur|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=-I3-6Zco2oIC&q=Nelson+Piquet&pg=PA227|publisher=Lonely Planet Publications|page=227|year=2010|isbn=9781740595445}}</ref>

Piquet's first marriage lasted one year, during which a son was born in 1977. His second produced three children, including [[Nelson Piquet Jr.|Nelson Angelo Piquet]] and [[Kelly Piquet]]. He also has another son from a previous relationship.<ref Name="lapsiaon">{{cite web|title = Family |url=http://www.geneall.net/P/per_page.php?id=522919|publisher=GeneAll.net |access-date=22 April 2008}}</ref><ref name="IMDb">{{cite web|title=Biography |url= https://www.imdb.com/name/nm1465456/bio|publisher=IMDb| date=22 April 2008}}</ref> He has two children with his current wife, including [[Pedro Piquet|Pedro Estácio Piquet]].<ref Name="lapsiaon" /><ref name="IMDb" />

On 31 July 2007, Piquet, after repeated speeding and parking offenses, was stripped of his civilian driving licence and ordered by the Brazilian courts to attend a week of lessons in order to "learn good and safe driving conduct", and to then pass an exam. His wife Viviane received the same sentence. "I think we have to pay for our mistakes," Piquet told Brazilian media. "It's not just a speeding problem, I got tickets for all kinds of reasons, like parking where I shouldn't."<ref>https://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/americas/6924089.stm Ex-F1 champ takes driving lessons</ref>

He was inducted into the [[International Motorsports Hall of Fame]] in 2000 and two racing circuits in [[Autódromo Internacional Nelson Piquet|Rio de Janeiro]] (formerly the Jacarepaguá Circuit) and in [[Autódromo Internacional Nelson Piquet (Brasília)|Brasília]] have been named "Autódromo Internacional Nelson Piquet", though the Rio circuit has since been demolished to make way for venues to be used in the [[2016 Summer Olympics]], with [[Rio de Janeiro]] the host city. Since his retirement, Piquet has been ranked among the greatest Formula One drivers. He was ranked 13th by Autosport in 2009,<ref>{{cite web|title=F1's Greatest Drivers – Nelson Piquet Sr.|url=http://f1greatestdrivers.autosport.com/?driver=13|publisher=Autosport (Haymarket Publications)|access-date=8 January 2013}}</ref> and 16th by [[BBC Sport]] in 2012.<ref name=piquetbbc />

He has Portuguese and French ancestry.

In a 2012 interview on Brazilian TV with himself and former Williams teammate Nigel Mansell, Piquet revealed that he had never been right after his accident at Imola in 1987. The crash caused him to lose some 80% of his depth perception and saw him secretly visit a hospital in [[Milan]] every two weeks through the season fearing that if he told his team they would not let him drive. He went on to say that he should have won the championship in 1986 and Mansell should have won in 1987, and that after 1987 he drove for the money as due to his condition he was no longer able to lead races from the front (each of his six wins following his Imola accident were inherited from others dropping out late).{{cn|date=June 2022}}

On 11 November 2013, Piquet underwent heart surgery from which he made a complete recovery.<ref>{{cite news |url=http://www.autosport.com/news/report.php/id/111279 |title=Triple Formula 1 champion Nelson Piquet undergoes heart surgery |work=Autosport |date=13 November 2013 |access-date=15 November 2013}}</ref>

He currently lives in a mansion on a farm in the suburbs of Brasília. Inside the property there is a precious private automobile museum and an airstrip.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://aeroin.net/aviao-acidenta-se-ao-pousar-no-aerodromo-piquet-em-brasilia/#google_vignette |title=Avião acidenta-se ao pousar no Aeródromo Piquet, em Brasília |date=31 January 2022 }}</ref>

==Controversies==

Piquet was known for insulting and slandering other drivers during and after his racing career. In 1988, Piquet made comments in a magazine about his rival [[Nigel Mansell]], calling him an "uneducated blockhead" and describing his wife as "ugly". He also falsely accused [[Ayrton Senna]] of being homosexual and called [[Enzo Ferrari]] "senile", adding to the latter statement that the Ferrari team would have performed better at the time if Ferrari was 30 years younger.<ref>{{cite book |last1=Sedgwick |first1=David |title=Power and the Glory |date=1 February 2018 |publisher=Pitch Publishing |isbn=978-1-78531-412-4 |chapter-url=https://books.google.com/books?id=e8pHEAAAQBAJ&dq=ayrton+senna+gay+piquet+%22senile%22&pg=PT162 |access-date=28 June 2022 |chapter=14: Monaco Grand Prix}}</ref> Mansell was in particular incensed about the personal attacks on his family which he described as "out of order",<ref>{{cite book |author=Nigel Mansell |title=Nigel Mansell My Autobiography |isbn=0-00-218497-4 |page=193|year=1995|publisher=CollinsWillow }}</ref> while Senna countered the accusations against his sexuality in a 1990 interview with the Brazilian edition of Playboy where he revealed that he lost his virginity to a prostitute when he was 13 years old. Senna speculated in the same interview that Piquet loathed him because he had previously slept with Piquet's then-future wife<ref>{{cite web |date=18 January 2013 |title=Formula One's Greatest Driver Lost His Virginity to a Prostitute When He Was 13 |url=http://jalopnik.com/5977119/formula-ones-greatest-driver-lost-his-virginity-to-a-prostitute-when-he-was-13 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181221134617/https://jalopnik.com/5977119/formula-ones-greatest-driver-lost-his-virginity-to-a-prostitute-when-he-was-13 |archive-date=21 December 2018 |access-date=18 January 2013 |publisher=Jalopnik}}</ref> Despite Senna's high-profile relationships with Brazilian television personalities like [[Xuxa]] from 1988 to 1990<ref>{{cite book |last=Rodrigues |first=Ernesto |title=Ayrton: o herói revelado |publisher=Objetiva |year=2004 |isbn=978-85-7302-602-3 |page=639 |language=pt}}</ref> and [[Adriane Galisteu]] at the time of his death in 1994,<ref>{{cite web |date=7 November 2010 |title=Adriane Galisteu: "Ayrton Senna está no meu coração e na minha cabeça" |trans-title=Adriane Galisteu: "Ayrton Senna's in my heart and in my head" |url=https://revistaepoca.globo.com/Revista/Quem/0,,EMI185731-9531,00.html |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210902180415/https://revistaepoca.globo.com/Revista/Quem/0,,EMI185731-9531,00.html |archive-date=2 September 2021 |access-date=30 May 2012 |work=Quem |language=pt}}</ref> Piquet continued to publicly refer to Senna as "gay" as late as 2020.<ref>{{cite news |last1=Gasparini |first1=Michaele |title=Nelson Piquet afirma que Ayrton Senna era gay e que teve casamento de fachada|url=https://tvhistoria.com.br/nelson-piquet-afirma-que-ayrton-senna-era-gay-e-que-teve-casamento-de-fachada/ |access-date=28 June 2022 |publisher=TV História |date=26 November 2021 |language=Portuguese}}</ref>

In 2021, during an interview on a Brazilian podcast, Piquet referred to [[Lewis Hamilton]] by the [[Portuguese language|Portuguese]] term "''neguinho''" when discussing an incident between Hamilton and [[Max Verstappen]] at the [[2021 British Grand Prix]].<ref name="MotorQuote" /><ref name="BBCCondemn">{{cite news |last1=Benson |first1=Andrew |title=Hamilton & F1 condemn Piquet over supposedly racist language |url=https://www.bbc.com/sport/formula1/61962839 |access-date=28 June 2022 |work=BBC Sport |date=28 June 2022}}</ref><ref>O'Callaghan, Rory (28 June 2022). [https://www.sportbible.com/formula-1/nelson-piquet-uses-racist-term-to-describe-lewis-hamilton-20220628 Lewis Hamilton Posts The Perfect Response To Nelson Piquet After Being Racially Abused By The Former F1 Champion]. Sport Bible. Retrieved 28 June 2022.</ref> After the comments resurfaced on social media in 2022, his use of the supposedly racial slur received condemnation from F1 and the community.<ref name="MotorQuote">{{cite news |title=F1 rebukes Piquet's racist comments against Hamilton |url=https://www.motorsport.com/f1/news/f1-rebukes-piques-racist-comments-hamilton/10329527/ |access-date=28 June 2022 |work=motorsport.com |date=28 June 2022 |language=en}}</ref><ref name="BBCCondemn" /> Piquet later apologised for his remarks, explaining that they were not intended to be racist.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Nelson Piquet apologises to Lewis Hamilton over comments but denies racial intent |url=https://www.skysports.com/f1/news/12433/12642512/nelson-piquet-apologises-to-lewis-hamilton-over-comments-but-denies-racial-intent |access-date=29 June 2022 |website=Sky Sports |language=en}}</ref> Following this apology, new footage revealed Piquet also used homophobic language against Hamilton in a 2016 interview.<ref name=":1">{{Cite web |date=1 July 2022 |title=Nelson Piquet used homophobic language against Lewis Hamilton, new footage shows |url=https://news.sky.com/story/nelson-piquet-used-homophobic-language-against-lewis-hamilton-new-footage-shows-12643740 |access-date=1 July 2022 |publisher=Sky News}}</ref> When asked of his opinion about [[Keke Rosberg]], the [[1982 Formula One World Championship|1982 Formula One World Champion]], Piquet described him as "a turd that has no value".<ref name=":1" /><ref name=":0">{{Cite web |last=Marum |first=Pedro Henrique |date=1 July 2022 |title="O neguinho devia estar dando cu", diz Piquet sobre derrota de Hamilton para Rosberg - Notícia de Fórmula 1 |url=https://www.grandepremio.com.br/f1/noticias/neguinho-devia-estar-dando-cu-nelson-piquet-derrota-lewis-hamilton-nico-rosberg/ |access-date=2 July 2022 |website=Grande Prêmio |language=pt-br}}</ref>

In July 2022, Piquet was banned from the F1 paddock as a result of the slanderous statements made against Hamilton.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Nelson Piquet racism row escalates as perceived homophobic slur against Lewis Hamilton emerges |url=https://www.skysports.com/f1/news/12433/12643698/nelson-piquet-racism-row-escalates-as-homophobic-slur-against-lewis-hamilton-emerges |access-date=2 July 2022 |website=Sky Sports |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite magazine |last=Coleman |first=Madeline |title=Reports: Piquet Banned From F1 Paddock After Racist Remark Toward Hamilton |url=https://www.si.com/formula1/2022/06/29/nelson-piquet-banned-from-f1-paddock-after-racist-remark-per-reports |access-date=2 July 2022 |magazine=Sports Illustrated |language=en-us}}</ref> Craig Slater of [[Sky Sports F1]] reported that despite his apology, Piquet, "for the foreseeable future at least, will not be welcome in the Formula 1 paddock".<ref>{{Cite web |title=Nelson Piquet racism row escalates as perceived homophobic slur against Lewis Hamilton emerges |url=https://www.skysports.com/f1/news/12433/12643698/nelson-piquet-racism-row-escalates-as-homophobic-slur-against-lewis-hamilton-emerges |access-date=2 July 2022 |website=Sky Sports |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |date=29 June 2022 |title=Sky Sports F1 News Report |url=https://twitter.com/i/status/1542133957755604992}}</ref>{{Primary source inline|date=August 2022}} The [[British Racing Drivers' Club]] also suspended Piquet's membership, and were expected to terminate his status as an honorary member, following a 7 day notice period.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Piquet suspended as honorary member of BRDC |url=https://www.autosport.com/f1/news/piquet-suspended-as-honorary-member-of-brdc/10330502/ |access-date=2 July 2022 |website=Autosport|date=30 June 2022 }}</ref>  In March 2023, he was ordered by a Brazilian court to pay {{Currency|5000000|BRL}} (approximately {{Currency|950000|USD}}) in moral damages.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Sharma |first=Hritika |date=25 March 2023 |title=Piquet ordered to pay $950k for racist, homophobic comments |language=en |work=[[Reuters]] |publisher=[[Thomson Reuters]] |location=Bengaluru |publication-place=London |editor-last=Coates |editor-first=Stephen |url=https://www.reuters.com/lifestyle/sports/piquet-ordered-pay-950k-racist-homophobic-comments-2023-03-25/ |access-date=25 March 2023}}</ref> The ban was lifted by the end of 2024, and Piquet was present at the [[2024 São Paulo Grand Prix|São Paulo Grand Prix]] as a guest of Red Bull.<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://revistaquem.globo.com/esportes/noticia/2024/11/famosos-vao-ao-treino-do-gp-de-formula-1-em-sao-paulo.ghtml |title=Famosos vão ao treino do GP de Fórmula 1, em São Paulo|date=2 November 2024 |website=revistaquem.globo.com |first=Carol |last=Rossini |access-date=8 December 2024}}</ref>

==In popular culture==

Piquet was portrayed by [[Hugo Bonemer]] in the 2024 ''[[Senna (miniseries)|Senna]]'' miniseries, a dramatization of the life and racing career of Ayrton Senna.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.netflix.com/tudum/articles/senna-series-formula-1-news-photos-release-date|title=Everything to Know About Senna, a New Series About the Brazilian Racing Hero|publisher=Netflix Tudum|date=3 December 2024}}</ref>

==Racing record==

===Career summary===
{{Expand list|date=May 2024}}
{|class="wikitable" style="font-size: 90%; text-align:center"
!Season
!Series
!Team
!Races
!Wins
!Poles
!{{abbr|F/Laps|Fastest laps}}
!Podiums
!Points
!Position
|-
!rowspan=2|1972
|align=left|Campeonato Brasiliense de Divisão 4
|align=left|
|4
|1
|1
|1
|2
|?
|?
|-
|align=left|Prêmio Aniversário de Brasília
|align=left|
|1
|0
|0
|0
|0
|N/A
|4th
|-
!1974
|align=left|Formula Super Vê Brasil
|align=left|Ideal Induspina
|5
|1
|1
|1
|1
|16
|4th
|-
!1975
|align=left|Formula Super Vê Brasil
|align=left|
|6
|0
|0
|0
|0
|2
|14th
|-
!rowspan=2|1976
|align=left|Formula VW 1600 Brasil
|align=left|Gledson
|10
|6
|5
|7
|7
|98
|style="background:#FFFFBF"|'''1st'''
|-
|align=left|Cascavel de Ouro - 7° edição
|align=left|
|1
|1
|0
|0
|1
|N/A
|style="background:#FFFFBF"|'''1st'''
|-
!rowspan=3|1977
|align=left nowrap|[[1977 FIA European Formula 3 Championship|FIA European Formula 3 Championship]]
|rowspan="3" style="text-align:left"|[[March Engineering|Scuderia Mirabella Mille Miglia]]
|11
|2
|1
|2
|5
|33
|style="background:#FFDF9F"|'''3rd'''
|-
|align=left|[[1977 British Formula Three season|Vandervell British Formula Three]]
|3
|0
|1
|{{abbr|?|Information missing}}
|2
|32
|7th
|-
|align=left|[[Italian Formula Three Championship|Italian Formula Three]]
|1
|0
|0
|0
|0
|0
|NC
|-
!rowspan=5|1978
|align=left|[[1978 British Formula Three season|Super Visco British Formula Three]]
|rowspan="2" style="text-align:left"|[[Ralt|Brastemp/Armo/Hobby]]
|15
|8
|9
|{{abbr|?|Information missing}}
|11
|101
|style="background:#FFFFBF"|'''1st'''
|-
|align=left|[[1978 British Formula Three season|Vandervell British Formula Three]]
|7
|5
|2
|{{abbr|?|Information missing}}
|6
|124
|style="background:#DFDFDF"|'''2nd'''
|-
|rowspan="3" style="text-align:left"|[[1978 Formula One season|Formula One]]
|align=left|[[BS Fabrications]]
|3
|0
|0
|0
|0
|rowspan=3|0
|rowspan=3|NC
|-
|align=left|[[Tissot|Team Tissot]] [[Ensign Racing|Ensign]]
|1
|0
|0
|0
|0
|-
|align=left|[[Parmalat]] [[Brabham|Racing]]
|1
|0
|0
|0
|0
|-
!rowspan=2|1979
|align=left|[[1979 Formula One season|Formula One]]
|align=left|[[Parmalat]] [[Brabham|Racing]]
|15
|0
|0
|1
|0
|3
|15th
|-
|align=left|[[1979 BMW M1 Procar Championship|BMW M1 Procar Championship]]
|align=left|[[BMW in motorsport|BMW Motorsport]]
|4
|1
|1
|0
|2
|35
|6th
|-
!rowspan=2|1980
|align=left|[[1980 Formula One season|Formula One]]
|align=left|[[Parmalat]] [[Brabham|Racing]]
|14
|3
|2
|1
|6
|54
|style="background:#DFDFDF"|'''2nd'''
|-
|align=left|[[1980 BMW M1 Procar Championship|BMW M1 Procar Championship]]
|align=left|[[BMW in motorsport|BMW Motorsport]]
|7
|3
|1
|0
|4
|90
|style="background:#FFFFBF"|'''1st'''
|-
!rowspan=2|1981
|align=left|[[1981 Formula One World Championship|Formula One]]
|align=left|[[Parmalat]] [[Brabham|Racing]]
|15
|3
|4
|1
|7
|50
|style="background:#FFFFBF"|'''1st'''
|-
|align=left|[[1981 World Sportscar Championship|World Sportscar Championship]]
|align=left|GS Tuning
|1
|1
|0
|0
|1
|10.5
|252nd
|-
!1982
|align=left|[[1982 Formula One World Championship|Formula One]]
|align=left| [[Parmalat]] [[Brabham|Racing]]
|14
|1
|1
|2
|2
|20
|11th
|-
!1983
|align=left|[[1983 Formula One World Championship|Formula One]]
|align=left|[[Fila (company)|Fila]] [[Brabham|Sport]]
|15
|3
|1
|4
|8
|59
|style="background:#FFFFBF"|'''1st'''
|-
!1984
|align=left|[[1984 Formula One World Championship|Formula One]]
|align=left|[[Brabham|MRD International]]
|16
|2
|9
|3
|4
|29
|5th
|-
!1985
|align=left|[[1985 Formula One World Championship|Formula One]]
|align=left nowrap|[[Olivetti]] [[Brabham|Racing]]
|16
|1
|1
|0
|2
|21
|8th
|-
!1986
|align=left|[[1986 Formula One World Championship|Formula One]]
|align=left|[[Williams Grand Prix Engineering|Canon Williams Honda Team]]
|16
|4
|2
|7
|10
|69
|style="background:#FFDF9F"|'''3rd'''
|-
!1987
|align=left|[[1987 Formula One World Championship|Formula One]]
|align=left|[[Williams Grand Prix Engineering|Canon Williams Honda Team]]
|15
|3
|4
|4
|11
|76
|style="background:#FFFFBF"|'''1st'''
|-
!1988
|align=left|[[1988 Formula One World Championship|Formula One]]
|align=left|[[Camel (cigarette)|Camel]] [[Team Lotus]] [[Honda in Formula One|Honda]]
|16
|0
|0
|0
|3
|22
|6th
|-
!1989
|align=left|[[1989 Formula One World Championship|Formula One]]
|align=left|[[Camel (cigarette)|Camel]] [[Team Lotus]]
|15
|0
|0
|0
|0
|12
|8th
|-
!1990
|align=left|[[1990 Formula One World Championship|Formula One]]
|align=left|[[Benetton Formula]]
|16
|2
|0
|0
|4
|44
|style="background:#FFDF9F"|'''3rd'''
|-
!1991
|align=left|[[1991 Formula One World Championship|Formula One]]
|align=left|[[Camel (cigarette)|Camel]] [[Benetton Formula]]
|16
|1
|0
|0
|3
|26.5
|6th
|-
!1992
|align=left|[[1992 PPG Indy Car World Series|PPG Indy Car World Series]]
|align=left|[[Team Menard]]
|0
|0
|0
|0
|0
|0
|NC
|-
!1993
|align=left|[[1993 PPG Indy Car World Series|PPG Indy Car World Series]]
|align=left|[[Team Menard]]
|1
|0
|0
|0
|0
|0
|55th
|-
!1996
|align=left|[[1996 24 Hours of Le Mans|24 Hours of Le Mans]]
|align=left|[[Team Bigazzi SRL]]
|1
|0
|0
|0
|0
|0
|8th
|-
!1997
|align=left|[[1997 24 Hours of Le Mans|24 Hours of Le Mans]]
|align=left|[[BMW Motorsport|Team BMW Motorsport]]
|1
|0
|0
|0
|0
|0
|DNF
|-
|}

===Complete European Formula 3 results===
([[:Template:Motorsport driver results legend|key]]) (Races in '''bold''' indicate pole position) (Races in ''italics'' indicate fastest lap)
{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center; font-size:85%"
! Year
! Entrant
! Engine
! 1
! 2
! 3
! 4
! 5
! 6
! 7
! 8
! 9
! 10
! 11
! 12
! 13
! 14
! DC
! Pts
|-
| [[1977 FIA European Formula 3 Championship|1977]]
!nowrap| [[March Engineering|Scuderia Mirabella Mille Miglia]]
! [[Toyota]]
|style="background:#FFCFCF;"|[[Circuit Paul Ricard|LEC]]<br />{{small|DNQ}}
|style="background:#CFCFFF;"|[[Nürburgring|NÜR]]<br />{{small|11}}
|style="background:#EFCFFF;"|[[Circuit Zandvoort|ZAN]]<br />{{small|Ret}}
|style="background:#CFCFFF;"|[[Circuit Zolder|ZOL]]<br />{{small|8}}
|style="background:#FFDF9F;"|[[Red Bull Ring|ÖST]]<br />{{small|3}}
|style="background:#CFCFFF;"|[[Imola Circuit|IMO]]<br />{{small|7}}
|style="background:#EFCFFF;"|[[Autodromo di Pergusa|PER]]<br />{{small|Ret}}
|[[Autodromo Nazionale di Monza|MNZ]]<br />
|style="background:#FFDF9F;"|[[Circuit de Croix-en-Ternois|CRO]]<br />{{small|3}}
|style="background:#DFDFDF;"|''[[Ring Knutstorp|KNU]]''<br />{{small|2}}
|style="background:#FFFFBF;"|[[Kassel Airport|KAS]]<br />{{small|1}}
|style="background:#DFFFDF;"|''[[Donington Park|DON]]''<br />{{small|6}}
|style="background:#FFFFBF;"|'''[[Circuito del Jarama|JAR]]'''<br />{{small|1}}
|style="background:#FFCFCF;"|[[ACI Vallelunga Circuit|VAL]]<br />{{small|DNQ}}
|style="background:#FFDF9F;"|'''3rd'''
|style="background:#FFDF9F;"|'''33'''
|-
|}

===Complete Vandervell British F3 Championship results===
([[:Template:Motorsport driver results legend|key]]) (Races in '''bold''' indicate pole position) (Races in ''italics'' indicate fastest lap)
{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center; font-size:85%"
! Year
! Entrant
! Engine
! 1
! 2
! 3
! 4
! 5
! 6
! 7
! 8
! 9
! 10
! DC
! Pts
|-
| [[1977 British Formula Three season|1977]]
!nowrap| [[March Engineering|Scuderia Mirabella Mille Miglia]]
!nowrap| [[Toyota]]
|[[Silverstone Circuit|SIL]]<br />
|[[Brands Hatch|BRH]]<br />
|[[Silverstone Circuit|SIL]]<br />
|style="background:#FFDF9F;"|[[Silverstone Circuit|SIL]]<br />{{small|3}}
|style="background:#DFFFDF;"|[[Donington Park|DON]]<br />{{small|6}}
|style="background:#FFDF9F;"|'''[[Silverstone Circuit|SIL]]'''<br />{{small|3}}
|[[Silverstone Circuit|SIL]]<br />
|colspan=3|
!7th
!32
|-
| [[1978 British Formula Three season|1978]]
!nowrap| [[Ralt|Brastemp/Armo/Hobby]]
!nowrap| [[Toyota]]
|style="background:#DFFFDF;"|[[Silverstone Circuit|SIL]]<br />{{small|5}}
|style="background:#FFFFBF;"|[[Silverstone Circuit|SIL]]<br />{{small|1}}
|style="background:#FFDF9F;"|[[Silverstone Circuit|SIL]]<br />{{small|3}}
|style="background:#FFFFBF;"|'''[[Oulton Park|OUL]]'''<br />{{small|1}}
|[[Mallory Park|MAL]]<br />
|[[Donington Park|DON]]<br />
|style="background:#FFFFBF;"|'''[[Silverstone Circuit|SIL]]'''<br />{{small|1}}
|style="background:#FFFFBF;"|[[Silverstone Circuit|SIL]]<br />{{small|1}}
|style="background:#FFFFBF;"|[[Silverstone Circuit|SIL]]<br />{{small|1}}
|[[Brands Hatch|BRH]]<br />
|style="background:#DFDFDF;"|'''2nd'''
|style="background:#DFDFDF;"|'''124'''
|-
|}

===Complete Super Visco British F3 Championship results===
([[:Template:Motorsport driver results legend|key]]) (Races in '''bold''' indicate pole position) (Races in ''italics'' indicate fastest lap)
{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center; font-size:85%"
! Year
! Entrant
! Engine
! 1
! 2
! 3
! 4
! 5
! 6
! 7
! 8
! 9
! 10
! 11
! 12
! 13
! 14
! 15
! 16
! 17
! DC
! Pts
|-
| [[1978 British Formula Three season|1978]]
!nowrap| [[Ralt|Brastemp/Armo/Hobby]]
! [[Toyota]]
|style="background:#DFFFDF;"|[[Thruxton Circuit|THR]]<br />{{small|4}}
|style="background:#DFDFDF;"|[[Thruxton Circuit|THR]]<br />{{small|2}}
|style="background:#DFDFDF;"|[[Brands Hatch|BRH]]<br />{{small|2}}
|style="background:#EFCFFF;"|'''[[Oulton Park|OUL]]'''<br />{{small|Ret}}
|style="background:#FFFFBF;"|[[Donington Park|DON]]<br />{{small|1}}
|style="background:#FFCFCF;"|[[Circuit de Monaco|MON]]<br />{{small|DNQ}}
|style="background:#FFFFBF;"|'''[[Mallory Park|MAL]]'''<br />{{small|1}}
|style="background:#FFFFBF;"|[[Thruxton Circuit|THR]]<br />{{small|1}}
|style="background:#FFFFBF;"|'''[[Brands Hatch|BRH]]'''<br />{{small|1}}
|style="background:#FFFFBF;"|'''[[Cadwell Park|CAD]]'''<br />{{small|1}}
|style="background:#FFFFBF;"|'''[[Circuit Paul Ricard|LEC]]'''<br />{{small|1}}
|style="background:#FFFFBF;"|'''[[Silverstone Circuit|SIL]]'''<br />{{small|1}}
|style="background:#DFFFDF;"|'''[[Brands Hatch|BRH]]'''<br />{{small|4}}
|style="background:#DFDFDF;"|'''[[Donington Park|DON]]'''<br />{{small|2}}
|style="background:#FFFFBF;"|'''[[Snetterton Circuit|SNE]]'''<br />{{small|1}}
||[[Mallory Park|MAL]]<br />
||[[Thruxton Circuit|THR]]<br />
|style="background:#FFFFBF;"|'''1st'''
|style="background:#FFFFBF;"|'''101'''
|-
|}

===Complete Formula One World Championship results===
([[:Template:F1 driver results legend 2|key]]) (Races in '''bold''' indicate pole position; races in ''italics'' indicate fastest lap)
{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center; font-size:85%"
! Year
! Entrant
! Chassis
! Engine
! 1
! 2
! 3
! 4
! 5
! 6
! 7
! 8
! 9
! 10
! 11
! 12
! 13
! 14
! 15
! 16
! WDC
! [[List of Formula One World Championship points scoring systems|Points]]{{efn|name="droppedpoints"|Up until {{F1|1990}}, not all points scored by a driver contributed to their final World Championship tally (see [[List of Formula One World Championship points scoring systems|list of points scoring systems]] for more information). Numbers without parentheses are Championship points; numbers in parentheses are total points scored.<ref>{{cite web|last=Diepraam|first=Mattijs|title=World Championship points systems|url=http://8w.forix.com/6thgear/points.html|work=8W|date=18 January 2019|access-date=1 December 2020|archive-date=24 September 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190924032459/http://8w.forix.com/6thgear/points.html|url-status=live}}</ref>}}
|-
|rowspan=3| {{F1|1978}}
!nowrap| [[Tissot|Team Tissot]] [[Ensign (racing team)|Ensign]]
!nowrap| [[Ensign (racing team)|Ensign]] [[Ensign N177|N177]]
!rowspan=2 nowrap| [[Ford Motor Company|Ford]] [[Cosworth DFV]] 3.0 [[V8 engine|V8]]
| [[1978 Argentine Grand Prix|ARG]]
| [[1978 Brazilian Grand Prix|BRA]]
| [[1978 South African Grand Prix|RSA]]
| [[1978 United States Grand Prix West|USW]]
| [[1978 Monaco Grand Prix|MON]]
| [[1978 Belgian Grand Prix|BEL]]
| [[1978 Spanish Grand Prix|ESP]]
| [[1978 Swedish Grand Prix|SWE]]
| [[1978 French Grand Prix|FRA]]
| [[1978 British Grand Prix|GBR]]
|style="background:#EFCFFF;"| [[1978 German Grand Prix|GER]]<br />{{small|Ret}}
|colspan=5|
!rowspan=3| NC
!rowspan=3| 0
|-
!nowrap| [[BS Fabrications]]
!nowrap| [[McLaren]] [[McLaren M23|M23]]
|colspan=11|
|style="background:#EFCFFF;"| [[1978 Austrian Grand Prix|AUT]]<br />{{small|Ret}}
|style="background:#EFCFFF;"| [[1978 Dutch Grand Prix|NED]]<br />{{small|Ret}}
|style="background:#CFCFFF;"| [[1978 Italian Grand Prix|ITA]]<br />{{small|9}}
| [[1978 United States Grand Prix|USA]]
|
|-
!nowrap| [[Parmalat]] [[Brabham|Racing]]
!nowrap| [[Brabham]] [[Brabham BT46|BT46]]
!nowrap| [[Alfa Romeo in Formula One|Alfa Romeo]] 115-12 3.0 [[Flat-12|F12]]
|colspan=15|
|style="background:#CFCFFF;"| [[1978 Canadian Grand Prix|CAN]]<br />{{small|11}}
|-
|rowspan=3| {{F1|1979}}
!rowspan=3 nowrap| [[Parmalat]] [[Brabham|Racing]]
!nowrap| [[Brabham]] [[Brabham BT46|BT46]]
!nowrap| [[Alfa Romeo in Formula One|Alfa Romeo]] 115-12 3.0 [[Flat-12|F12]]
|style="background:#EFCFFF;"| [[1979 Argentine Grand Prix|ARG]]<br />{{small|Ret}}
|colspan=15|
!rowspan=3| 15th
!rowspan=3| 3
|-
!nowrap| [[Brabham]] [[Brabham BT48|BT48]]
!nowrap| [[Alfa Romeo in Formula One|Alfa Romeo]] 1260 3.0 [[V12 engine|V12]]
|
|style="background:#EFCFFF;"| [[1979 Brazilian Grand Prix|BRA]]<br />{{small|Ret}}
|style="background:#CFCFFF;"| [[1979 South African Grand Prix|RSA]]<br />{{small|7}}
|style="background:#CFCFFF;"| [[1979 United States Grand Prix West|USW]]<br />{{small|8}}
|style="background:#EFCFFF;"| [[1979 Spanish Grand Prix|ESP]]<br />{{small|Ret}}
|style="background:#EFCFFF;"| [[1979 Belgian Grand Prix|BEL]]<br />{{small|Ret}}
|style="background:#EFCFFF;"| [[1979 Monaco Grand Prix|MON]]<br />{{small|Ret}}
|style="background:#EFCFFF;"| [[1979 French Grand Prix|FRA]]<br />{{small|Ret}}
|style="background:#EFCFFF;"| [[1979 British Grand Prix|GBR]]<br />{{small|Ret}}
|style="background:#CFCFFF;"| [[1979 German Grand Prix|GER]]<br /><small>12<sup>†</sup></small>
|style="background:#EFCFFF;"| [[1979 Austrian Grand Prix|AUT]]<br />{{small|Ret}}
|style="background:#DFFFDF;"| [[1979 Dutch Grand Prix|NED]]<br />{{small|4}}
|style="background:#EFCFFF;"| [[1979 Italian Grand Prix|ITA]]<br />{{small|Ret}}
|colspan=3|
|-
!nowrap| [[Brabham]] [[Brabham BT49|BT49]]
!nowrap| [[Ford Motor Company|Ford]] [[Cosworth DFV]] 3.0 [[V8 engine|V8]]
|colspan=13|
|style="background:#EFCFFF;"| [[1979 Canadian Grand Prix|CAN]]<br />{{small|Ret}}
|style="background:#EFCFFF;"|''[[1979 United States Grand Prix|USA]]''<br />{{small|Ret}}
|
|-
| {{F1|1980}}
!nowrap| [[Parmalat]] [[Brabham|Racing]]
!nowrap| [[Brabham]] [[Brabham BT49|BT49]]
!nowrap| [[Ford Motor Company|Ford]] [[Cosworth DFV]] 3.0 [[V8 engine|V8]]
|style="background:#DFDFDF;"| [[1980 Argentine Grand Prix|ARG]]<br />{{small|2}}
|style="background:#EFCFFF;"| [[1980 Brazilian Grand Prix|BRA]]<br />{{small|Ret}}
|style="background:#DFFFDF;"| [[1980 South African Grand Prix|RSA]]<br />{{small|4}}
|style="background:#FFFFBF;"| '''''[[1980 United States Grand Prix West|USW]]'''''<br />{{small|1}}
|style="background:#EFCFFF;"| [[1980 Belgian Grand Prix|BEL]]<br />{{small|Ret}}
|style="background:#FFDF9F;"| [[1980 Monaco Grand Prix|MON]]<br />{{small|3}}
|style="background:#DFFFDF;"| [[1980 French Grand Prix|FRA]]<br />{{small|4}}
|style="background:#DFDFDF;"| [[1980 British Grand Prix|GBR]]<br />{{small|2}}
|style="background:#DFFFDF;"| [[1980 German Grand Prix|GER]]<br />{{small|4}}
|style="background:#DFFFDF;"| [[1980 Austrian Grand Prix|AUT]]<br />{{small|5}}
|style="background:#FFFFBF;"| [[1980 Dutch Grand Prix|NED]]<br />{{small|1}}
|style="background:#FFFFBF;"| [[1980 Italian Grand Prix|ITA]]<br />{{small|1}}
|style="background:#EFCFFF;"| '''[[1980 Canadian Grand Prix|CAN]]'''<br />{{small|Ret}}
|style="background:#EFCFFF;"| [[1980 United States Grand Prix|USA]]<br />{{small|Ret}}
|colspan=2|
|style="background:#DFDFDF;"|'''2nd'''
|style="background:#DFDFDF;"|'''54'''
|-
| {{F1|1981}}
!nowrap| [[Parmalat]] [[Brabham|Racing]]
!nowrap| [[Brabham]] [[Brabham BT49|BT49C]]
!nowrap| [[Ford Motor Company|Ford]] [[Cosworth DFV]] 3.0 [[V8 engine|V8]]
|style="background:#FFDF9F;"| [[1981 United States Grand Prix West|USW]]<br />{{small|3}}
|style="background:#CFCFFF;"| '''[[1981 Brazilian Grand Prix|BRA]]'''<br />{{small|12}}
|style="background:#FFFFBF;"| '''''[[1981 Argentine Grand Prix|ARG]]'''''<br />{{small|1}}
|style="background:#FFFFBF;"| [[1981 San Marino Grand Prix|SMR]]<br />{{small|1}}
|style="background:#EFCFFF;"| [[1981 Belgian Grand Prix|BEL]]<br />{{small|Ret}}
|style="background:#EFCFFF;"| '''[[1981 Monaco Grand Prix|MON]]'''<br />{{small|Ret}}
|style="background:#EFCFFF;"| [[1981 Spanish Grand Prix|ESP]]<br />{{small|Ret}}
|style="background:#FFDF9F;"| [[1981 French Grand Prix|FRA]]<br />{{small|3}}
|style="background:#EFCFFF;"| [[1981 British Grand Prix|GBR]]<br />{{small|Ret}}
|style="background:#FFFFBF;"| [[1981 German Grand Prix|GER]]<br />{{small|1}}
|style="background:#FFDF9F;"| [[1981 Austrian Grand Prix|AUT]]<br />{{small|3}}
|style="background:#DFDFDF;"| [[1981 Dutch Grand Prix|NED]]<br />{{small|2}}
|style="background:#DFFFDF;"| [[1981 Italian Grand Prix|ITA]]<br /><small>6<sup>†</sup></small>
|style="background:#DFFFDF;"| '''[[1981 Canadian Grand Prix|CAN]]'''<br />{{small|5}}
|style="background:#DFFFDF;"| [[1981 Caesars Palace Grand Prix|CPL]]<br />{{small|5}}
|
|style="background:#FFFFBF;"| '''1st'''
|style="background:#FFFFBF;"|'''50'''
|-
|rowspan=2| {{F1|1982}}
!rowspan=2 nowrap| [[Parmalat]] [[Brabham|Racing]]
!nowrap| [[Brabham]] [[Brabham BT50|BT50]]
!nowrap| [[BMW in Formula One|BMW]] [[BMW M12|M12/13]] 1.5 [[Straight-4|L4]] [[Turbocharger|t]]
|style="background:#EFCFFF;"| [[1982 South African Grand Prix|RSA]]<br />{{small|Ret}}
|colspan=3|
|style="background:#DFFFDF;"| [[1982 Belgian Grand Prix|BEL]]<br />{{small|5}}
|style="background:#EFCFFF;"| [[1982 Monaco Grand Prix|MON]]<br />{{small|Ret}}
|style="background:#FFCFCF;"| [[1982 Detroit Grand Prix|DET]]<br />{{small|DNQ}}
|style="background:#FFFFBF;"| [[1982 Canadian Grand Prix|CAN]]<br />{{small|1}}
|style="background:#DFDFDF;"| [[1982 Dutch Grand Prix|NED]]<br />{{small|2}}
|style="background:#EFCFFF;"| [[1982 British Grand Prix|GBR]]<br />{{small|Ret}}
|style="background:#EFCFFF;"| [[1982 French Grand Prix|FRA]]<br />{{small|Ret}}
|style="background:#EFCFFF;"| ''[[1982 German Grand Prix|GER]]''<br />{{small|Ret}}
|style="background:#EFCFFF;"| '''''[[1982 Austrian Grand Prix|AUT]]'''''<br />{{small|Ret}}
|style="background:#DFFFDF;"| [[1982 Swiss Grand Prix|SUI]]<br />{{small|4}}
|style="background:#EFCFFF;"| [[1982 Italian Grand Prix|ITA]]<br />{{small|Ret}}
|style="background:#EFCFFF;"| [[1982 Caesars Palace Grand Prix|CPL]]<br />{{small|Ret}}
!rowspan=2| 11th
!rowspan=2| 20
|-
!nowrap| [[Brabham]] [[Brabham BT49|BT49D]]
!nowrap| [[Ford Motor Company|Ford]] [[Cosworth DFV]] 3.0 [[V8 engine|V8]]
|
|style="background:#000000; color:white"| [[1982 Brazilian Grand Prix|<span style="color:white;">BRA</span>]]<br />{{small|DSQ}}
|style="background:#EFCFFF;"| [[1982 United States Grand Prix West|USW]]<br />{{small|Ret}}
| [[1982 San Marino Grand Prix|SMR]]
|colspan=12|
|-
|rowspan=2| {{F1|1983}}
!rowspan=2 nowrap| [[Fila (company)|Fila]] [[Brabham|Sport]]
!nowrap| [[Brabham]] [[Brabham BT52|BT52]]
!rowspan=2 nowrap| [[BMW in Formula One|BMW]] [[BMW M12|M12/13]] 1.5 [[Straight-4|L4]] [[Turbocharger|t]]
|style="background:#FFFFBF;"| ''[[1983 Brazilian Grand Prix|BRA]]''<br />{{small|1}}
|style="background:#EFCFFF;"| [[1983 United States Grand Prix West|USW]]<br />{{small|Ret}}
|style="background:#DFDFDF;"| [[1983 French Grand Prix|FRA]]<br />{{small|2}}
|style="background:#EFCFFF;"| [[1983 San Marino Grand Prix|SMR]]<br />{{small|Ret}}
|style="background:#DFDFDF;"| ''[[1983 Monaco Grand Prix|MON]]''<br />{{small|2}}
|style="background:#DFFFDF;"| [[1983 Belgian Grand Prix|BEL]]<br />{{small|4}}
|style="background:#DFFFDF;"| [[1983 Detroit Grand Prix|DET]]<br />{{small|4}}
|style="background:#EFCFFF;"| [[1983 Canadian Grand Prix|CAN]]<br />{{small|Ret}}
|colspan=8|
|rowspan="2" style="background:#FFFFBF;"| '''1st'''
|rowspan="2" style="background:#FFFFBF;"|'''59'''
|-
!nowrap| [[Brabham]] [[Brabham BT52|BT52B]]
|colspan=8|
|style="background:#DFDFDF;"| [[1983 British Grand Prix|GBR]]<br />{{small|2}}
|style="background:#CFCFFF;"| [[1983 German Grand Prix|GER]]<br /><small>13<sup>†</sup></small>
|style="background:#FFDF9F;"| [[1983 Austrian Grand Prix|AUT]]<br />{{small|3}}
|style="background:#EFCFFF;"| '''[[1983 Dutch Grand Prix|NED]]'''<br />{{small|Ret}}
|style="background:#FFFFBF;"| ''[[1983 Italian Grand Prix|ITA]]''<br />{{small|1}}
|style="background:#FFFFBF;"| [[1983 European Grand Prix|EUR]]<br />{{small|1}}
|style="background:#FFDF9F;"| ''[[1983 South African Grand Prix|RSA]]''<br />{{small|3}}
|
|-
| {{F1|1984}}
!nowrap| [[Brabham|MRD International]]
!nowrap| [[Brabham]] [[Brabham BT53|BT53]]
!nowrap| [[BMW in Formula One|BMW]] [[BMW M12|M12/13]] 1.5 [[Straight-4|L4]] [[Turbocharger|t]]
|style="background:#EFCFFF;"| [[1984 Brazilian Grand Prix|BRA]]<br />{{small|Ret}}
|style="background:#EFCFFF;"| '''[[1984 South African Grand Prix|RSA]]'''<br />{{small|Ret}}
|style="background:#CFCFFF;"| [[1984 Belgian Grand Prix|BEL]]<br /><small>9<sup>†</sup></small>
|style="background:#EFCFFF;"| '''''[[1984 San Marino Grand Prix|SMR]]'''''<br />{{small|Ret}}
|style="background:#EFCFFF;"| [[1984 French Grand Prix|FRA]]<br />{{small|Ret}}
|style="background:#EFCFFF;"| [[1984 Monaco Grand Prix|MON]]<br />{{small|Ret}}
|style="background:#FFFFBF;"| '''''[[1984 Canadian Grand Prix|CAN]]'''''<br />{{small|1}}
|style="background:#FFFFBF;"| '''[[1984 Detroit Grand Prix|DET]]'''<br />{{small|1}}
|style="background:#EFCFFF;"| [[1984 Dallas Grand Prix|DAL]]<br />{{small|Ret}}
|style="background:#CFCFFF;"| '''[[1984 British Grand Prix|GBR]]'''<br />{{small|7}}
|style="background:#EFCFFF;"| [[1984 German Grand Prix|GER]]<br />{{small|Ret}}
|style="background:#DFDFDF;"| '''[[1984 Austrian Grand Prix|AUT]]'''<br />{{small|2}}
|style="background:#EFCFFF;"| [[1984 Dutch Grand Prix|NED]]<br />{{small|Ret}}
|style="background:#EFCFFF;"| '''[[1984 Italian Grand Prix|ITA]]'''<br />{{small|Ret}}
|style="background:#FFDF9F;"| '''''[[1984 European Grand Prix|EUR]]'''''<br />{{small|3}}
|style="background:#DFFFDF;"|''' [[1984 Portuguese Grand Prix|POR]]'''<br />{{small|6}}
! 5th
! 29
|-
| {{F1|1985}}
!nowrap| [[Olivetti]] [[Brabham|Racing]]
!nowrap| [[Brabham]] [[Brabham BT54|BT54]]
!nowrap| [[BMW in Formula One|BMW]] [[BMW M12|M12/13]] 1.5 [[Straight-4|L4]] [[Turbocharger|t]]
|style="background:#EFCFFF;"| [[1985 Brazilian Grand Prix|BRA]]<br />{{small|Ret}}
|style="background:#EFCFFF;"| [[1985 Portuguese Grand Prix|POR]]<br />{{small|Ret}}
|style="background:#CFCFFF;"| [[1985 San Marino Grand Prix|SMR]]<br /><small>8<sup>†</sup></small>
|style="background:#EFCFFF;"| [[1985 Monaco Grand Prix|MON]]<br />{{small|Ret}}
|style="background:#EFCFFF;"| [[1985 Canadian Grand Prix|CAN]]<br />{{small|Ret}}
|style="background:#DFFFDF;"| [[1985 Detroit Grand Prix|DET]]<br />{{small|6}}
|style="background:#FFFFBF;"| [[1985 French Grand Prix|FRA]]<br />{{small|1}}
|style="background:#DFFFDF;"| [[1985 British Grand Prix|GBR]]<br />{{small|4}}
|style="background:#EFCFFF;"| [[1985 German Grand Prix|GER]]<br />{{small|Ret}}
|style="background:#EFCFFF;"| [[1985 Austrian Grand Prix|AUT]]<br />{{small|Ret}}
|style="background:#CFCFFF;"| '''[[1985 Dutch Grand Prix|NED]]'''<br />{{small|8}}
|style="background:#DFDFDF;"| [[1985 Italian Grand Prix|ITA]]<br />{{small|2}}
|style="background:#DFFFDF;"| [[1985 Belgian Grand Prix|BEL]]<br />{{small|5}}
|style="background:#EFCFFF;"| [[1985 European Grand Prix|EUR]]<br />{{small|Ret}}
|style="background:#EFCFFF;"| [[1985 South African Grand Prix|RSA]]<br />{{small|Ret}}
|style="background:#EFCFFF;"| [[1985 Australian Grand Prix|AUS]]<br />{{small|Ret}}
! 8th
! 21
|-
| {{F1|1986}}
!nowrap| [[Williams Grand Prix Engineering|Canon Williams Honda Team]]
!nowrap| [[WilliamsF1|Williams]] [[Williams FW11|FW11]]
!nowrap| [[Honda in Formula One|Honda]] RA166E 1.5 [[V6 engine|V6]] [[Turbocharger|t]]
|style="background:#FFFFBF;"| ''[[1986 Brazilian Grand Prix|BRA]]''<br />{{small|1}}
|style="background:#EFCFFF;"| [[1986 Spanish Grand Prix|ESP]]<br />{{small|Ret}}
|style="background:#DFDFDF;"| ''[[1986 San Marino Grand Prix|SMR]]''<br />{{small|2}}
|style="background:#CFCFFF;"| [[1986 Monaco Grand Prix|MON]]<br />{{small|7}}
|style="background:#EFCFFF;"| '''[[1986 Belgian Grand Prix|BEL]]'''<br />{{small|Ret}}
|style="background:#FFDF9F;"| ''[[1986 Canadian Grand Prix|CAN]]''<br />{{small|3}}
|style="background:#EFCFFF;"| ''[[1986 Detroit Grand Prix|DET]]''<br />{{small|Ret}}
|style="background:#FFDF9F;"| [[1986 French Grand Prix|FRA]]<br />{{small|3}}
|style="background:#DFDFDF;"| '''[[1986 British Grand Prix|GBR]]'''<br />{{small|2}}
|style="background:#FFFFBF;"| [[1986 German Grand Prix|GER]]<br />{{small|1}}
|style="background:#FFFFBF;"| ''[[1986 Hungarian Grand Prix|HUN]]''<br />{{small|1}}
|style="background:#EFCFFF;"| [[1986 Austrian Grand Prix|AUT]]<br />{{small|Ret}}
|style="background:#FFFFBF;"| [[1986 Italian Grand Prix|ITA]]<br />{{small|1}}
|style="background:#FFDF9F;"| [[1986 Portuguese Grand Prix|POR]]<br />{{small|3}}
|style="background:#DFFFDF;"| ''[[1986 Mexican Grand Prix|MEX]]''<br />{{small|4}}
|style="background:#DFDFDF;"| ''[[1986 Australian Grand Prix|AUS]]''<br />{{small|2}}
|style="background:#FFDF9F;"| '''3rd'''
|style="background:#FFDF9F;"| '''69'''
|-
| {{F1|1987}}
!nowrap| [[Williams Grand Prix Engineering|Canon Williams Honda Team]]
!nowrap| [[WilliamsF1|Williams]] [[Williams FW11|FW11B]]
!nowrap| [[Honda in Formula One|Honda]] RA167E 1.5 [[V6 engine|V6]] [[Turbocharger|t]]
|style="background:#DFDFDF;"| ''[[1987 Brazilian Grand Prix|BRA]]''<br />{{small|2}}
|style="background:#ffffff;"| [[1987 San Marino Grand Prix|SMR]]<br />{{small|DNS}}
|style="background:#EFCFFF;"| [[1987 Belgian Grand Prix|BEL]]<br />{{small|Ret}}
|style="background:#DFDFDF;"| [[1987 Monaco Grand Prix|MON]]<br />{{small|2}}
|style="background:#DFDFDF;"| [[1987 Detroit Grand Prix|DET]]<br />{{small|2}}
|style="background:#DFDFDF;"| ''[[1987 French Grand Prix|FRA]]''<br />{{small|2}}
|style="background:#DFDFDF;"| '''[[1987 British Grand Prix|GBR]]'''<br />{{small|2}}
|style="background:#FFFFBF;"| [[1987 German Grand Prix|GER]]<br />{{small|1}}
|style="background:#FFFFBF;"| ''[[1987 Hungarian Grand Prix|HUN]]''<br />{{small|1}}
|style="background:#DFDFDF;"| '''[[1987 Austrian Grand Prix|AUT]]'''<br />{{small|2}}
|style="background:#FFFFBF;"| '''[[1987 Italian Grand Prix|ITA]]'''<br />{{small|1}}
|style="background:#FFDF9F;"| [[1987 Portuguese Grand Prix|POR]]<br />{{small|3}}
|style="background:#DFFFDF;"| '''[[1987 Spanish Grand Prix|ESP]]'''<br />{{small|4}}
|style="background:#DFDFDF;"| ''[[1987 Mexican Grand Prix|MEX]]''<br />{{small|2}}
|style="background:#CFCFFF;"| [[1987 Japanese Grand Prix|JPN]]<br /><small>15<sup>†</sup></small>
|style="background:#EFCFFF;"| [[1987 Australian Grand Prix|AUS]]<br />{{small|Ret}}
|style="background:#FFFFBF;"|'''1st'''
|style="background:#FFFFBF;"|'''73 (76)'''
|-
| {{F1|1988}}
!nowrap| [[Camel (cigarette)|Camel]] [[Team Lotus]] [[Honda Racing F1|Honda]]
!nowrap| [[Team Lotus|Lotus]] [[Lotus 100T|100T]]
!nowrap| [[Honda in Formula One|Honda]] RA168E 1.5 [[V6 engine|V6]] [[Turbocharger|t]]
|style="background:#FFDF9F;"| [[1988 Brazilian Grand Prix|BRA]]<br />{{small|3}}
|style="background:#FFDF9F;"| [[1988 San Marino Grand Prix|SMR]]<br />{{small|3}}
|style="background:#EFCFFF;"| [[1988 Monaco Grand Prix|MON]]<br />{{small|Ret}}
|style="background:#EFCFFF;"| [[1988 Mexican Grand Prix|MEX]]<br />{{small|Ret}}
|style="background:#DFFFDF;"| [[1988 Canadian Grand Prix|CAN]]<br />{{small|4}}
|style="background:#EFCFFF;"| [[1988 Detroit Grand Prix|DET]]<br />{{small|Ret}}
|style="background:#DFFFDF;"| [[1988 French Grand Prix|FRA]]<br />{{small|5}}
|style="background:#DFFFDF;"| [[1988 British Grand Prix|GBR]]<br />{{small|5}}
|style="background:#EFCFFF;"| [[1988 German Grand Prix|GER]]<br />{{small|Ret}}
|style="background:#CFCFFF;"| [[1988 Hungarian Grand Prix|HUN]]<br />{{small|8}}
|style="background:#DFFFDF;"| [[1988 Belgian Grand Prix|BEL]]<br />{{small|4}}
|style="background:#EFCFFF;"| [[1988 Italian Grand Prix|ITA]]<br />{{small|Ret}}
|style="background:#EFCFFF;"| [[1988 Portuguese Grand Prix|POR]]<br />{{small|Ret}}
|style="background:#CFCFFF;"| [[1988 Spanish Grand Prix|ESP]]<br />{{small|8}}
|style="background:#EFCFFF;"| [[1988 Japanese Grand Prix|JPN]]<br />{{small|Ret}}
|style="background:#FFDF9F;"| [[1988 Australian Grand Prix|AUS]]<br />{{small|3}}
! 6th
! 22
|-
| {{F1|1989}}
!nowrap| [[Camel (cigarette)|Camel]] [[Team Lotus]]
!nowrap| [[Team Lotus|Lotus]] [[Lotus 101|101]]
!nowrap| [[Judd (engine)|Judd]] [[Judd (engine)#CV|CV]] 3.5 [[V8 engine|V8]]
|style="background:#EFCFFF;"| [[1989 Brazilian Grand Prix|BRA]]<br />{{small|Ret}}
|style="background:#EFCFFF;"| [[1989 San Marino Grand Prix|SMR]]<br />{{small|Ret}}
|style="background:#EFCFFF;"| [[1989 Monaco Grand Prix|MON]]<br />{{small|Ret}}
|style="background:#CFCFFF;"| [[1989 Mexican Grand Prix|MEX]]<br />{{small|11}}
|style="background:#EFCFFF;"| [[1989 United States Grand Prix|USA]]<br />{{small|Ret}}
|style="background:#DFFFDF;"| [[1989 Canadian Grand Prix|CAN]]<br />{{small|4}}
|style="background:#CFCFFF;"| [[1989 French Grand Prix|FRA]]<br />{{small|8}}
|style="background:#DFFFDF;"| [[1989 British Grand Prix|GBR]]<br />{{small|4}}
|style="background:#DFFFDF;"| [[1989 German Grand Prix|GER]]<br />{{small|5}}
|style="background:#DFFFDF;"| [[1989 Hungarian Grand Prix|HUN]]<br />{{small|6}}
|style="background:#FFCFCF;"| [[1989 Belgian Grand Prix|BEL]]<br />{{small|DNQ}}
|style="background:#EFCFFF;"| [[1989 Italian Grand Prix|ITA]]<br />{{small|Ret}}
|style="background:#EFCFFF;"| [[1989 Portuguese Grand Prix|POR]]<br />{{small|Ret}}
|style="background:#CFCFFF;"| [[1989 Spanish Grand Prix|ESP]]<br />{{small|8}}
|style="background:#DFFFDF;"| [[1989 Japanese Grand Prix|JPN]]<br />{{small|4}}
|style="background:#EFCFFF;"| [[1989 Australian Grand Prix|AUS]]<br />{{small|Ret}}
!8th
!12
|-
|rowspan=2| {{F1|1990}}
!rowspan=2 nowrap| [[Benetton Formula]]
!nowrap| [[Benetton Formula|Benetton]] [[Benetton B189|B189B]]
!rowspan=2 nowrap| [[Ford Motor Company|Ford]] [[Cosworth#The HB V8|HBA4]] 3.5 [[V8 engine|V8]]
|style="background:#DFFFDF;"| [[1990 United States Grand Prix|USA]]<br />{{small|4}}
|style="background:#DFFFDF;"| [[1990 Brazilian Grand Prix|BRA]]<br />{{small|6}}
|colspan=14|
|rowspan="2" style="background:#FFDF9F;"| '''3rd'''
|rowspan="2" style="background:#FFDF9F;"| '''43 (44)'''
|-
!nowrap| [[Benetton Formula|Benetton]] [[Benetton B190|B190]]
|colspan=2|
|style="background:#DFFFDF;"| [[1990 San Marino Grand Prix|SMR]]<br />{{small|5}}
|style="background:#000000; color:white"| [[1990 Monaco Grand Prix|<span style="color:white;">MON</span>]]<br />{{small|DSQ}}
|style="background:#DFDFDF;"| [[1990 Canadian Grand Prix|CAN]]<br />{{small|2}}
|style="background:#DFFFDF;"| [[1990 Mexican Grand Prix|MEX]]<br />{{small|6}}
|style="background:#DFFFDF;"| [[1990 French Grand Prix|FRA]]<br />{{small|4}}
|style="background:#DFFFDF;"| [[1990 British Grand Prix|GBR]]<br />{{small|5}}
|style="background:#EFCFFF;"| [[1990 German Grand Prix|GER]]<br />{{small|Ret}}
|style="background:#FFDF9F;"| [[1990 Hungarian Grand Prix|HUN]]<br />{{small|3}}
|style="background:#DFFFDF;"| [[1990 Belgian Grand Prix|BEL]]<br />{{small|5}}
|style="background:#CFCFFF;"| [[1990 Italian Grand Prix|ITA]]<br />{{small|7}}
|style="background:#DFFFDF;"| [[1990 Portuguese Grand Prix|POR]]<br />{{small|5}}
|style="background:#EFCFFF;"| [[1990 Spanish Grand Prix|ESP]]<br />{{small|Ret}}
|style="background:#FFFFBF;"| [[1990 Japanese Grand Prix|JPN]]<br />{{small|1}}
|style="background:#FFFFBF;"| [[1990 Australian Grand Prix|AUS]]<br />{{small|1}}
|-
|rowspan=2| {{F1|1991}}
!rowspan=2 nowrap| [[Camel (cigarette)|Camel]] [[Benetton Formula|Benetton Ford]]
!nowrap| [[Benetton Formula|Benetton]] [[Benetton B190|B190B]]
!rowspan=2 nowrap| [[Ford Motor Company|Ford]] [[Cosworth#The HB V8|HBA5]] 3.5 [[V8 engine|V8]]
|style="background:#FFDF9F;"| [[1991 United States Grand Prix|USA]]<br />{{small|3}}
|style="background:#DFFFDF;"| [[1991 Brazilian Grand Prix|BRA]]<br />{{small|5}}
|colspan=14|
!rowspan=2| 6th
!rowspan=2| 26.5
|-
!nowrap| [[Benetton Formula|Benetton]] [[Benetton B191|B191]]
|colspan=2|
|style="background:#EFCFFF;"| [[1991 San Marino Grand Prix|SMR]]<br />{{small|Ret}}
|style="background:#EFCFFF;"| [[1991 Monaco Grand Prix|MON]]<br />{{small|Ret}}
|style="background:#FFFFBF;"| [[1991 Canadian Grand Prix|CAN]]<br />{{small|1}}
|style="background:#EFCFFF;"| [[1991 Mexican Grand Prix|MEX]]<br />{{small|Ret}}
|style="background:#CFCFFF;"| [[1991 French Grand Prix|FRA]]<br />{{small|8}}
|style="background:#DFFFDF;"| [[1991 British Grand Prix|GBR]]<br />{{small|5}}
|style="background:#EFCFFF;"| [[1991 German Grand Prix|GER]]<br />{{small|Ret}}
|style="background:#EFCFFF;"| [[1991 Hungarian Grand Prix|HUN]]<br />{{small|Ret}}
|style="background:#FFDF9F;"| [[1991 Belgian Grand Prix|BEL]]<br />{{small|3}}
|style="background:#DFFFDF;"| [[1991 Italian Grand Prix|ITA]]<br />{{small|6}}
|style="background:#DFFFDF;"| [[1991 Portuguese Grand Prix|POR]]<br />{{small|5}}
|style="background:#CFCFFF;"| [[1991 Spanish Grand Prix|ESP]]<br />{{small|11}}
|style="background:#CFCFFF;"| [[1991 Japanese Grand Prix|JPN]]<br />{{small|7}}
|style="background:#DFFFDF;"| [[1991 Australian Grand Prix|AUS]]<br />{{small|4}}
|-
!colspan="22"|{{center|{{small|Sources:<ref name=MSportStats>{{cite web|title=Nelson Piquet Results|url=https://motorsportstats.com/driver/nelson-piquet/results|publisher=Motorsport Stats|access-date=27 May 2025}}</ref><ref>{{cite book|last=Small|first=Steve|title=Grand Prix Who's Who|chapter=Nelson Piquet|url=https://archive.org/details/grandprixwhoswho0000smal|year=2000|edition=Third|publisher=Travel Publishing|location=Reading, Berkshire|pages=443–446|access-date=27 May 2025|isbn=978-1-902007-46-5|url-access=registration|via=Internet Archive}}</ref>}}}}
|}
<sup>†</sup> Did not finish, but was classified as he had completed more than 90% of the race distance.

=== Formula One non-championship results ===
([[:Template:F1 driver results legend 3|key]]) (Races in '''bold''' indicate pole position)
(Races in ''italics'' indicate fastest lap)
{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center; font-size:85%"
! Year
! Entrant
! Chassis
! Engine
! 1
! 2
! 3
|-
| 1979
!nowrap| [[Parmalat]] [[Brabham|Racing]]
!nowrap| [[Brabham]] [[Brabham BT48|BT48]]
!nowrap| [[Alfa Romeo in Formula One|Alfa Romeo]] [[Flat-12]]
|style="background:#DFDFDF;"| ''[[1979 Race of Champions|ROC]]''<br />{{small|2}}
| [[Gunnar Nilsson Memorial Trophy|GUN]]
| [[1979 Dino Ferrari Grand Prix|DIN]]
|-
| 1980
!nowrap| [[Parmalat]] [[Brabham|Racing]]
!nowrap| [[Brabham]] [[Brabham BT49|BT49]]
!nowrap| [[Cosworth]] [[V8 engine|V8]]
|style="background:#EFCFFF;"| [[1980 Spanish Grand Prix|ESP]]<br />{{small|Ret}}
|colspan=2|
|-
| 1981
!nowrap| [[Parmalat]] [[Brabham|Racing]]
!nowrap| [[Brabham]] [[Brabham BT49|BT49B]]
!nowrap| [[Cosworth]] [[V8 engine|V8]]
|style="background:#DFDFDF;"| '''[[1981 South African Grand Prix|RSA]]'''<br />{{small|2}}
|colspan=2|
|-
!colspan="7"|{{center|{{small|Source:<ref>{{cite web|title=Nelson Piquet – Involvement Non World Championship|url=https://www.statsf1.com/en/nelson-piquet/engagementhc.aspx|work=StatsF1|access-date=27 May 2025}}</ref>}}}}
|}

===Complete BMW M1 Procar Championship results===
([[:Template:Motorsport driver results legend|key]]) (Races in '''bold''' indicate pole position; races in ''italics'' indicate fastest lap)
{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center; font-size:85%"
! Year
! Entrant
! 1
! 2
! 3
! 4
! 5
! 6
! 7
! 8
! 9
! DC
! Pts
|-
| [[1979 BMW M1 Procar Championship|1979]]
!nowrap| [[BMW in motorsport|BMW Motorsport]]
|[[Circuit Zolder|ZOL]]<br>{{small|DNS}}
|[[Circuit de Monaco|MCO]]
|style="background:#FFFFBF;"|'''[[Dijon-Prenois|DIJ]]'''<br>{{small|1}}
|style="background:#DFDFDF;"|[[Silverstone Circuit|SIL]]<br>{{small|2}}
|[[Hockenheimring|HOC]]
|[[Red Bull Ring|ÖST]]
|style="background:#EFCFFF;"|[[Circuit Zandvoort|ZAN]]<br>{{small|Ret}}
|style="background:#EFCFFF;"|[[Autodromo Nazionale di Monza|MNZ]]<br>{{small|Ret}}
|
! 6th
! 35
|-
| [[1980 BMW M1 Procar Championship|1980]]
!nowrap| [[BMW in motorsport|BMW Motorsport]]
|[[Donington Park|DON]]
|style="background:#EFCFFF;"|[[AVUS|AVS]]<br>{{small|Ret}}
|style="background:#FFDF9F;"|[[Circuit de Monaco|MCO]]<br>{{small|3}}
|style="background:#EFCFFF;"|[[Norisring|NOR]]<br>{{small|Ret}}
|[[Brands Hatch|BRH]]
|style="background:#DFFFDF;"|[[Hockenheimring|HOC]]<br>{{small|4}}
|style="background:#FFFFBF;"|[[Red Bull Ring|ÖST]]<br>{{small|1}}
|style="background:#FFFFBF;"|[[Circuit Zandvoort|ZAN]]<br>{{small|1}}
|style="background:#FFFFBF;"|'''[[Imola Circuit|IMO]]'''<br>{{small|1}}
|style="background:#FFFFBF;"|'''1st'''
|style="background:#FFFFBF;"|'''90'''
|-
!colspan="13"|{{center|{{small|Source:<ref name=MSportMagDatabase>{{cite web|title=Nelson Piquet|url=https://www.motorsportmagazine.com/database/drivers/nelson-piquet/|work=[[Motor Sport (magazine)|Motor Sport]]|access-date=27 May 2025}}</ref>}}}}
|}

=== Complete PPG IndyCar World Series results ===
([[Template:American Open Wheel driver results legend|key]]) (Races in '''bold''' indicate pole position)
{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center; font-size:85%"
!Year
!Team
!No.
!Chassis
!Engine
!1
!2
!3
!4
!5
!6
!7
!8
!9
!10
!11
!12
!13
!14
!15
!16
!Rank
!Points
!Ref
|-
|[[1992 PPG Indy Car World Series|1992]]
!nowrap|[[Team Menard]]
!77
!nowrap|[[Lola Cars|Lola T92/00]]
!nowrap|[[Buick]] 3300 [[V6 engine|V6]] [[Turbocharger|t]]
|[[1992 Dailkyo IndyCar Grand Prix|SRF]]
|[[XM Satellite Radio Indy 200|PHX]]
|[[Grand Prix of Long Beach|LBH]]
|style="background:#DFC484;"| [[1992 Indianapolis 500|INDY]]<br>{{small|Wth}}
|[[Detroit Indy Grand Prix|DET]]
|[[Grand Prix of Portland|POR]]
|[[Milwaukee IndyFest|MIL]]
|[[New England Indy 200|NHA]]
|[[Honda Indy Toronto|TOR]]
|[[Firestone Indy 400|MCH]]
|[[Grand Prix of Cleveland|CLE]]
|[[Champ Car Grand Prix of Road America|ROA]]
|[[Molson Indy Vancouver|VAN]]
|[[Honda Indy 200|MDO]]
|[[Firestone Indy 225|NAZ]]
|[[Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca|LAG]]
| style="background:#CFCFFF;" |'''NC'''
| style="background:#CFCFFF;" |'''-'''
!<ref>{{cite web|url=https://racing-reference.info/drivdet/piquene01/1992/R|title=Nelson Piquet – 1992 CART Results|work=Racing-Reference|publisher=NASCAR Digital Media, LLC|access-date=16 August 2023}}</ref>
|-
|[[1993 PPG Indy Car World Series|1993]]
!nowrap|[[Team Menard]]
!77
!nowrap|[[Lola Cars|Lola T93/00]]
!nowrap|[[Team Menard|Menard]] [[V6 engine|V6]] [[Turbocharger|t]]
|[[1993 Australian FAI IndyCar Grand Prix|SRF]]
|[[XM Satellite Radio Indy 200|PHX]]
|[[Grand Prix of Long Beach|LBH]]
| style="background:#EFCFFF;" |[[1993 Indianapolis 500|INDY]]<br>{{small|32}}
|[[Milwaukee IndyFest|MIL]]
|[[Detroit Indy Grand Prix|DET]]
|[[Grand Prix of Portland|POR]]
|[[Grand Prix of Cleveland|CLE]]
|[[Honda Indy Toronto|TOR]]
|[[Firestone Indy 400|MCH]]
|[[New England Indy 200|NHA]]
|[[Champ Car Grand Prix of Road America|ROA]]
|[[Molson Indy Vancouver|VAN]]
|[[Honda Indy 200|MDO]]
|[[Firestone Indy 225|NAZ]]
|[[Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca|LAG]]
| style="background:#CFCFFF;" |'''NC'''
| style="background:#CFCFFF;" |'''0'''
!<ref>{{cite web|url=https://racing-reference.info/drivdet/piquene01/1993/R|title=Nelson Piquet – 1993 CART Results|work=Racing-Reference|publisher=NASCAR Digital Media, LLC|access-date=16 August 2023}}</ref>
|}

====Indianapolis 500====
{| class="wikitable" style="font-size: 90%;"
|-
! Year
! Chassis
! Engine
! Start
! Finish
! Entrant
|-
| [[1992 Indianapolis 500|1992]]
| [[Lola Cars|Lola]]
| [[Buick]]
| align="center" |DNS
|N/A
|nowrap| [[Team Menard|Menard]]
|-
| [[1993 Indianapolis 500|1993]]
| [[Lola Cars|Lola]]
| [[Buick]]
| 13th
| 32nd
|nowrap| [[Team Menard|Menard]]
|-
!colspan="13"|{{center|{{small|Source:<ref name=MSportMagDatabase/>}}}}
|}

===24 Hours of Le Mans results===
{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center; font-size:90%"
|-
! Year
! Team
! Co-Drivers
! Car
! Class
! Laps
! {{Tooltip|Pos.|Overall Position}}
! {{Tooltip|Class<br>Pos.|Class Position}}
|-
! {{24hLM|1996}}
|align="left" nowrap| {{flagicon|ITA}} Team Bigazzi<br>{{flagicon|DEU}} Team [[BMW Motorsport]]
|align="left" nowrap| {{flagicon|VEN}} [[Johnny Cecotto]]<br>{{flagicon|USA}} [[Danny Sullivan]]
|align="left" nowrap| [[McLaren F1 GTR]]
| GT1
| 324
| 8th
| 6th
|-
! {{24hLM|1997}}
|align="left" nowrap| {{flagicon|DEU}} Team [[BMW Motorsport]]<br>{{flagicon|DEU}} [[BMW]] [[Team Schnitzer]]
|align="left" nowrap| {{flagicon|FIN}} [[JJ Lehto]]<br>{{flagicon|GBR}} [[Steve Soper]]
|align="left" nowrap| [[McLaren F1 GTR]]
| GT1
| 236
| DNF
| DNF
|-
!colspan="8"|{{center|{{small|Sources:<ref>{{cite web|title=Complete Archive of Nelson Piquet (page 4)|url=https://www.racingsportscars.com/driver/archive/Nelson-Piquet-BR.html?page=4|work=Racing Sports Cars|access-date=27 May 2025}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|title=Nelson Piquet Sr.|url=https://www.24h-lemans.com/en/track-record/driver/nelson-piquet-sr-5324|publisher=[[Automobile Club de l'Ouest]]|access-date=27 May 2025}}</ref>}}}}
|}

==Notes==
{{notelist}}

==References==
{{Reflist|30em}}

==External links==
{{Commons|Nelson Piquet}}
* [http://www.grandprix.com/gpe/drv-piqnel.html Entry on Nelson Piquet] from [http://www.grandprix.com/ grandprix.com]
* [http://www.4mula1.ro/history/driver/Nelson_Piquet Nelson Piquet Statistics]
*[https://library.revsinstitute.org/digital/custom/results?search=Nelson+Piquet&collection=p17257coll1&CISOSEARCHALL=Nelson+Piquet Nelson Piquet] from [https://library.revsinstitute.org/digital/ Revs Digital Library]

{{Navboxes
|title=Nelson Piquet sporting positions
| list1 =
{{S-start}}
{{S-sports}}
{{Succession box|title=[[List of British Formula Three champions|British Formula Three]]<BR>[[British Automobile Racing Club|BARC]] Series Champion |before=[[Derek Daly]] |after= [[Chico Serra]]<br>(Combined championship)|years=[[1978 British Formula Three season|1978]]}}
{{Succession box|title=[[BMW M1 Procar Championship]]<br>Champion |before=[[Niki Lauda]]|after=None<br>(Series ended)|years=1980}}
{{Succession box|title=[[List of Formula One World Drivers' Champions|Formula One World Champion]] |before=[[Alan Jones (racing driver)|Alan Jones]]|after= [[Keke Rosberg]]|years={{F1|1981}}}}
{{Succession box|title=[[List of Formula One World Drivers' Champions|Formula One World Champion]] |before=[[Keke Rosberg]]|after= [[Niki Lauda]]|years={{F1|1983}}}}
{{Succession box|title=[[List of Formula One World Drivers' Champions|Formula One World Champion]] |before=[[Alain Prost]]|after= [[Ayrton Senna]]|years={{F1|1987}}}}
{{S-ach}}
{{Succession box| before = [[Keke Rosberg]] | title = [[Autosport]]<br /> International Racing Driver Award | after = [[Niki Lauda]] | years = 1983}}
{{S-end}}
{{Formula One World Drivers' Champions}}
{{Formula One drivers from Brazil}}
{{British F3 champions}}
{{Autosport International Racing Driver Award}}
{{Brabham}}
{{Williams}}
{{Team Lotus}}}}
{{Team Menard}}
{{Piquet racing family}}
{{Authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Piquet, Nelson}}
[[Category:1952 births]]
[[Category:Living people]]
[[Category:Brazilian people of French descent]]
[[Category:Brazilian racing drivers]]
[[Category:Brazilian Formula One drivers]]
[[Category:Formula One World Drivers' Champions]]
[[Category:Formula One race winners]]
[[Category:Benetton Formula One drivers]]
[[Category:BS Fabrications Formula One drivers]]
[[Category:Brabham Formula One drivers]]
[[Category:Ensign Formula One drivers]]
[[Category:Team Lotus Formula One drivers]]
[[Category:Williams Formula One drivers]]
[[Category:Brazilian IndyCar Series drivers]]
[[Category:Indianapolis 500 drivers]]
[[Category:International Motorsports Hall of Fame inductees]]
[[Category:British Formula Three Championship drivers]]
[[Category:FIA European Formula 3 Championship drivers]]
[[Category:Businesspeople from Rio de Janeiro (city)]]
[[Category:Racing drivers from Rio de Janeiro (city)]]
[[Category:24 Hours of Le Mans drivers]]
[[Category:World Sportscar Championship drivers]]
[[Category:Piquet family|Nelson Piquet]]
[[Category:BMW M drivers]]
[[Category:Schnitzer Motorsport drivers]]