Top 5 cars that marked Nelson Piquet's career

5. McLaren F1 GTR

Less famous than his single-seaters, the Brazilian competed in two editions of the 24 Hours of Le Mans (Sarthe) aboard a BMW-powered McLaren F1 GTR. In 1996, Nelson Piquet joined forces with ex-F1 driver Johnny Cecotto and Danny Sullivan (winner of the Indy 500 in 1985) within the Bigazzi team. The F1 GTR will be the victim ofa serious scare at six o'clock on Sunday morning due to a radiator change and will finish eighth.

It will be even worse 12 months later. Although experienced, his teammate JJ Lehto lost control of the long-tailed McLaren exiting the Mulsanne corner and hit the concrete wall. It's abandonment.

4. Benetton B191

At 39 years old, Nelson Piquet was slowly sliding towards retirement from Formula 1 in 1991. But before giving up his arms, he was going to recover (with a bit of luck it must be said) one last victory at Montreal (Canada). Indeed, he has the merit of leading his boat into second place at the start of the last lap, 55 seconds behind the untouchable Nigel Mansell (Williams).

Suddenly at the hairpin, the Brit stops! The circumstances of the abandonment remain uncertain, but it seems that Nigel Mansell wanted to wave to the crowd by slowing down, causing the engine to stall.

“While I imagined Mansell already victorious, a radio call warned me: go ahead, go ahead, Mansell is no longer here! Amazing. Nice victory for me, for the team of course. And I'm super happy for that old wanker from Patrese (second. Editor’s note) », laughed Nelson Piquet.

3. Williams FW11B

In 1987, the package formed by the Williams chassis and the Honda turbo engine was the right formula: nine successes out of a total of 16 Grands Prix. The fight for the world title is therefore limited to Nelson Piquet and his teammate (and best enemy) Nigel Mansell. The latter is more flamboyant in the race, but his sense of attack often works against him while the Brazilian is extremely consistent. Less exciting but more effective, it will be titled for the third time after his rival's accident during testing for the Japanese GP.

2. Brabham BT49C

Equipped with the solid Ford Cosworth DFV V8 block, the Brabham is just as solid. Designed in just six weeks in 1979 from the chassis of the BT48 (with engine Alfa Romeo), The car British is in the third year of approval when Nelson Piquet began the 1981 season with a third place in Long Beach (California). The start of an unforgettable year, marked by a grueling final in Las Vegas (Nevada).

In the Caesar's Palace parking lot, the heat is stifling despite the Indian summer (October 17). During the tests, Nelson Piquet suffered from neck pain and had to have a massage for almost two hours to relieve his neck. On Sunday, he absolutely must score one more point than Carlos Reutemann (Williams) to be titled.

If the Argentinian quickly finds himself in difficulty, Nelson Piquet must above all fight against exhaustion. In the final laps, he even had trouble keeping his head straight in the corners; the circuit runs counterclockwise, a rare feature. After crossing the line in fifth place (two points), he took a long time to regain his composure in his cockpit.

1. Brabham BT52B

The car that smells of controversy! The team managed by Bernie Ecclestone was caught red-handed using non-compliant fuel on this single-seater, the first with a turbo engine to win the championship in 1983.

“During the German GP, ​​the technical commissioners decided to analyze the fuel of a few single-seaters, including the Brabham: 102 RON (research octane number) of octane for everyone except for the Brabham which displays 102,3 then 102,7 during a second analysis. Despite this, FISA (International Motorsport Federation) hush up the affair, to the extent that the two analyzes present an average of 102,50 and that within 0,50 RON, it is difficult to make a precise judgment according to the French petroleum institute which authored the operation., we explain in AUTOhebdo n°391.

Renault et Alain Prost, beaten to the wire, preferred not to protest and Nelson Piquet kept his second title. The Brabham BT52B was finally distinguished by the location of the radiators, placed as far as possible at the rear in order to increase traction when exiting corners.

Photo credit: DPPI