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NELSON PIQUET JNR

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Nelson Piquet Jr Profile

Saturday 26th January 2008

Nelson Piquet Jr enters his rookie season in F1 with a great deal of expectation resting on his shoulders as the son of a former F1 World Champion.

His father Nelson Piquet is one of just a handful of drivers who have achieved the honour of winning the F1 World Championship on more than two occasions, clinching the series in 1981, 1983, and 1987.

And Brazil is now looking to his son, Nelsinho, for a new World Champion.

Nelsinho's racing career started in 1993 in Brazilian karting, where he would stay until 2001 when he moved to Formula Three Sudamericana.

In 2003, he moved to the UK to participate in the British Formula 3 Championship and form the Piquet Sports team. He went on to take 3rd place with six wins, five podiums and eight pole positions.

A year later the Brazilian won the British Formula 3 Championship, became the youngest driver to take the title at the age of 19 years and 2 months.

In 2005, he took part in the A1 Grand Prix for A1 Team Brazil, winning the very first Sprint and Main races of the series.

That year he also joined the GP2 Series, driving for HiTech/Piquet Sports, winning his first GP2 race in Belgium. He stayed in GP2 in 2006 where he claimed second place in the Championship just behind British driver Lewis Hamilton.

He moved on to a full-time test driver role with Renault in 2007 having already tested with Williams and Honda previously. His performances during Renault's test sessions led the team to sign him as Fernando Alonso's team-mate for the 2008 Championship.

It remains to be seen whether Renault will allow the Brazilian to challenge Alonso or if the Spaniard's expected number 1 status will result in Nelsinho looking for another team as soon as possible.

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