Piquet Nelson – BRASIL

Nelson Piquet, Brazilian Formula 1 legend

Nelson Piquet Souto Maior (Rio de Janeiro, 17 August 1952) is one of the great protagonists of Formula 1 history. A talented Brazilian driver, he has won three world titles (1981, 1983, 1987), establishing himself as one of the most successful ever and the only one, together with Ayrton Senna, to take Brazil to the roof of the world three times. Equipped with a balanced and strategic driving style, Piquet was also known for his ironic and charismatic character, which made him particularly popular with the public and the media.

During his career he competed in 204 Grand Prix, achieving:
-23 victories
-24 pole positions
-23 fastest laps
-485.5 total points (of which 481.5 valid for the classification)
-100 top six finishes
-60 podiums
-43 front row startsAn extraordinary career, which made him a true icon of international motor racing, today also celebrated at the Nicolis Museum.

Steering Wheels:

In 1981, a steering wheel designed by MOMO for British racing car manufacturer Brabham became the faithful companion of the great Brazilian driver. He made a name for himself by winning the 1981 Formula One World Championship behind the wheel of the Ford engine powered Brabham Bt49.

In 1988, the year he used this steering wheel, he had just passed from Williams to Lotus, with whom he had a good season. He climbed onto the podium three times, finishing 3rd at the Brazilian, San Marino and Australian Grands Prix respectively.

In 1989, Piquet was still racing for Lotus and this steering wheel in our collection comes from that very season. Unfortunately, the engine used by Lotus, the Judd V8, was not as powerful as those the major teams used for their cars and this greatly affected Piquet and team-mate Satoru Nakajima's performances. Nonetheless, the Brazilian managed to win 12 championship points thanks to three 4th places, a 5th and a 6th place (at the Canadian, British, Japanese, German and Hungarian Grands Prix respectively).

In 1990, the three-time world champion moved to Benetton, where he would enjoy a remarkable season, thanks also to the car's performance: the Benetton B189B and the Benetton B190 which had this steering wheel in our collection. The Brazilian managed 3 podium finishes and, together with other placings that earned him a host of championship points (44 in total), he managed to finish 3rd in the driver standings.

In 1991, his last year in Formula 1, Piquet had a fine season driving the Benetton B190B and B191 that were excellent cars just like those of the previous year. Three times on the podium, including a victory (Canadian Grand Prix) and 5 placings worth 10 points, the ace ended the season with 26.5 points, good enough for 6th place in the driver standings.