Nelson Stake - SpeedyLook encyclopedia

Biography

Beginnings

Wire of Estácio Gonçalves Souto Maior (a doctor which will be several years appointed and even Minister for health into 1961-1962 pennies the presidency of João Goulart), Nelson Souto Maior grows with Brasilia, the modern administrative capital of Brazil. Expressing the wish to make career in tennis, Nelson is sent by his/her father in an academy to the United States. It is there that he discovers the automobile sport. This new passion is hardly taste of his/her father. Also, Nelson decides it to be registered with its first tests of karting under the name of young girl her mother of French origin, Clotilde Piquet. For better preserving its anonymity, Nelson will go even a time until spelling its name " Piket".

After having gained two national crowns in Karting and having carried out brilliances beginnings in the single-seater (champion of Brazil of F. Vee in 1976), it decides to be exiled in England, required passage to reach Formula 1. In 1978, it easily gains the British championship of Formule 3, a domination which opens the doors of the formula queen to him.

Formula 1

Parallel to its victorious season of F3, it begins in F1 at the time of the GP from Germany on modest a Ensign, then argument three races on a McLaren M 23 of the private TEAM of Bob Sparshoot. In spite of a material of second zone, it carries out services which enable him to be noticed by Bernie Ecclestone, the owner of the stable Brabham. It is thus as a Brabham pilot (with Niki Lauda and John Watson as team-members) that Piquet buckles the season 1978.

Its first complete season in 1979 is a succession of disillusions for Piquet, because of the fiasco which represents this year there the Romeo Brabham-Esparto. But at the sides of Niki Lauda (of which the manner of managing the race Piquet will inspire durably), he patiently learns the strings from the trade. Wearied by the competition, Lauda takes its first retirement at the end of 1979, which makes to Stake the new leader of Brabham. At the wheel of a finally competitive car (Brabham exchanged the V12 Alfa Romeo for conventional a V8 Cosworth), Piquet takes down its first victories, and fights for the world title with Alan Jones, Williams pilot. Beaten by the Australian one, it takes its revenge the following year while taking a lead in the wire vis-a-vis Argentinian the Carlos Reutemann, the other controls Williams, at the end of final with suspense in the streets of Las Vegas.

In 1982, Piquet is not able to defend its title because of the hard development of turbo the BMW engine (to which Piquet offers to Canada its first victory). But since 1983, it carries out its return to the more high level, by taking down a second world title at the conclusion of a long-term duel with Alain Prost. Stake becomes thus the first pilot titrated at the wheel of F1 been driven by a turbo engine. This title however is tarnished by the fact that the fuel used by the Brabham-BMW stable at the end of the season was probably not in conformity with the payment in force (one will speak in particular about a too high octane rate).

Seasons 1984 and 1985 are more delicate for Piquet, which in spite of three new victories suffers from the fall of competitiveness of the BMW engine. With regret, it leaves Brabham (which it regarded as one second family) to join the stable Williams-Honda, the team in form of the moment: Ecclestone, owner of Brabham proposed an new agreement of pilot equivalent to 1,5 million euros per annum and 1 to him; 000 euros the point while Williams offered 3 million for the season and 10 000 euros the point. Very haloed of its statute of double champion of the world (what makes of him the pilot more titrated in activity), Piquet is however hustled in performances by its fellow-member Nigel Mansell, with whom it develops a deep enmity quickly. In position to become world champion with some towers of the end of the ultimate GP of the championship in Australia and following the déchappage of Mansell, Piquet is constrained to observe by safety an ultimate stop with the stands which offers the world title to Alain Prost.

Stake joins again with the supreme title in 1987, but without the manner. Dominated of pure speed by Mansell, Piquet owes especially its sacring with a greater regularity, not to say a greater chance. With its discharge, note that Piquet was victim at the beginning of season of a serious accident on the layout of Imola (in the same turn where Ayrton Senna will find death later 7 years), which left him deep physiological after-effects during several months (headaches, sleep disorders…). At the head championship since the semi-season and its victory with GP of Germany, it makes sure of its title at the time of the qualifications of GP of Japan, penultimate sleeve of the season, when Nigel Mansell breaks a vertebra against a rail in an ultimate effort to try to tear off the pole-position to him.

Its relations with Williams and Mansell not having had of cease to worsen, Piquet announces as of the month of August 1987 its transfer at Lotus for the season 1988, to replace Ayrton Senna. But the Lotus team is in lose speed and does not manage to exploit the Honda engine, however so powerful in McLaren. Force also is to note that Piquet does not make forget Ayrton Senna as the domination less shows it than he exerts on his fellow-member Satoru Nakajima. After one correct season 1988 then one disastrous season 1989 with V8 Judd (in particular punctuated season of a not-qualification with the GP of Belgium), much wonder about its motivation. It is however started again in 1990 while signing in the young person and dynamic stable Benetton, directed by Flavio Briatore, which imposes on Piquet a drastic reduction of his wages, while justifying it by premiums at each registered point. On nimble although under-motorized Benetton B190 drawn by Rory Byrne (and improved by John Barnard), Piquet finds all its liveliness and completes its season in apotheosis by gaining the two last sleeves of the championship, putting thus fine at more than three years of failure. Nelson finishes third of the championship of the world.

Extremely of this beautiful end of season 1990, Piquet approaches the championship 1991 with great ambitions, but quickly owes déchanter taking into account the lack of competitiveness and reliability of Benetton B191 equipped with Pirelli tires. With the GP of Canada, benefitting from a mishap remained famous to its old rival Nigel Mansell broken down with less than one kilometer of the arrival (the English would have fixed while slowing down excessively to greet the public, version denied by the Williams team), there signs the ultimate victory of its career. In spite of this lucky success, it is not long in being let gain by the demotivation. The arrival of the young person Michael Schumacher at her sides to replace Moreno starting from the GP of Italy seals its fate definitively. Without serious offer for the following season (Stake would have contacted the stable Ligier, but the wages which he asked were too much high for the French team), he is constrained to put a term at his career Formulates 1 of them.

After F1

Since 1992, Piquet launches out in a new objective and decides to attack the 500 Miles of Indianapolis within the stable of the patron John Menard on Lola-Buick. But whereas rumors give a report on a possible return in F1, Piquet is wounded seriously during the tests of the prestigious American test on the Indianapolis Motor Speedway. The crushed legs, passing near to the amputation, Piquet seems lost for the automobile sport, but at the conclusion of a painful convalescence, and to prove with all that to face a wall on an oval to 360 km/h does not frighten him, it carries out its return later one year, with the 500 miles of Indianapolis 1993 (participation which shows an early abandonment on driving break-in).

Since, Piquet continued to run, in an episodical way. Historically related to BMW since its title of 1983, it took part in several tests of Tourism at the wheel of BMW in the middle of the years 1990, as well as Large-Tourism with McLaren-BMW. One thus saw it twice with the 24 hours of Mans (in 1997 and 1998). For the pleasure, it also took part in some tests of karting as well as Formula 3 (in Brazil and in Italy).

Nelson Piquet also assembled its own structure of race. Already, in 1992, it had created a transitory stable of Formule 3000 to make run its protected Olivier Beretta. It renewed the experiment with the beginning of the year 2000 to facilitate the blossoming with the more high level of his son Nelson Angelo Piquet (known as Nelsinho ) in F3 Brazilian, British F3 and GP 2 Series. This one will reach in its turn with the queen category in 2007 with Renault in quality of pilot tester.

Beginning 2006, Piquet took part victoriously in the test WP of the Thousand Miles Interlagos at the wheel of Aston Martin divided with Christophe Bouchut, Hélio Castroneves and its Nelsinho son. Of its own consent, it should be a question of its last official race.

In 2007 triple world champion of Formula 1 started to take courses of control to pass by again its driving license, which it lost because of infringements repeated with the highway code.

Career

1969: First races in Karting
1976: F.Vee (champion of Brazil)
1977: Formula 3 (3rd of the championship of England)
1978: Formula 3 (champion of England)

beginnings in Formula 1 at Ensign-Ford, then GP on a McLaren-Ford, and passage at Romeo Brabham-Esparto.

1979 : F1 at Brabham - Alfa Romeo (15th of the championship)
1980: F1 at Brabham - Ford (2nd of the championship, 3 victories)
1981: F1 at Brabham - Ford (champion, 3 victories)
1982: F1 at Brabham - Ford then Brabham - BMW (11th from the championship, 1 victory)
1983: F1 at Brabham - BMW (champion, 3 victories)
1984: F1 at Brabham - BMW (5th of the championship, 2 victories)
1986: F1 at Williams - Honda (3rd of the championship, 4 victories)
1987: F1 at Williams - Honda (champion, 3 victories)
1988: F1 at Lotus - Honda (6th of the championship)
1989: F1 at Lotus - Judd (8th of the championship)
1990: F1 at Benetton - Ford (3rd of the championship, 2 victories)
1991: F1 at Benetton - Ford (6th from the championship, 1 victory)
1992: Participation in the 500 miles of Indianapolis: fixed price following a serious accident with the tests
1993: Participation in the 500 miles of Indianapolis: abandonment (classified 32e)
1997: 24 hours of Spa (2nd)
2006: 1.000 miles of Interlagos: victory.

See too

Nelson Angelo Stake, his/her Pilot son
of Formula 1: classification per year
Pilot of Formula 1: classification by better Pilot turns
of Formula 1: classification by Pilot podiums
of Formula 1: classification by Pilot poles position
of Formula 1: classification by Pilot victories
of Formula 1: classification by hat tricks

External bond

Official site of Stake Sports

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