Piquet Jr and F1

Kirk · 9 Feb 2006, 13:24 (Ref:1518829)

I see Piquet Jr has made the headlines bad mouthing formal GP2 rival Scott Speed. I know little of this guys potential and I didn't catch much of GP2 last year but I was taken aback by some of the comments by the Speed Channel commentators toward Piquet, to the effect that he wasn't very good and in fact was a menace on the track. Meanwhile Piquet Jr himself seems to think that he deserves a shot at F1. Is he just riding his dad's coat tails? Comments?

http://www.paddocktalk.com/news/html...opic=8&catid=0

marcus · 10 Feb 2006, 07:30 (Ref:1519411)

he started A1 GP off good and has gone backwards since then.
maybe another year of GP2 and A1 GP might see him mature more as a driver and possibly be considered for F1

John Weed · 10 Feb 2006, 08:28 (Ref:1519431)

Piquet just wants to get some exposure in this moment. Joao Paulo de Oliveira is stealing the attention as Williams was impressed with his approach to the short test he done for the team in Spain last week and Piquet is in panic.
He is not anymore the only brazilian to have F1 hopes.

kmsport · 10 Feb 2006, 09:56 (Ref:1519488)

I would have thought Rubino and Felipe were Brazils F1 hopes.

kipper · 10 Feb 2006, 11:54 (Ref:1519561)

Quote:

Originally Posted by kmsport

I would have thought Rubino and Felipe were Brazils F1 hopes.

Currently they probably are; but for the long term future probably not given that Barrichello is in the authumn of his career, whilst the jury, in my view, is still out on whether Massa can be a top line driver.
Personally, I think Piquet Jr's track record should be enough to give him a shot at F1, although whether he is good enough to emulate his father's accomplishments remains to be seen.

BootsOntheSide · 10 Feb 2006, 14:21 (Ref:1519661)

I think he meant Brazil's hopes for a future F1 driver.

The Speed Channel, being a US company with a US audience to please, will've taken especially badly to criticism of an American driver, especially if they are showing Scott in F1 this year.

Nelsinho has always ahd an advantage in terms of equipment and support throughout his career, although it's hard to say whether or not he did in GP2. He has some impressive achievements on his CV - certainly more than Matthias Lauda has showed, and motor racing is one area where success has ran in families, be it down to nature or nurture.

Kirk · 10 Feb 2006, 14:32 (Ref:1519671)

After reading Boot's post, I realized I may have Matthias and Nelsinho mixed up. I think it may been Lauda Jr who they were criticising on Speed Channel. I get all these driver's sons mixed up.

mp356a · 10 Feb 2006, 15:06 (Ref:1519697)

He finished what, 8th last year? How did Speed and Nico and Heikki do again?
And he appears to be annoyed that many of his peers have moved on. Sounds like a wealthy son of an F1 driver to me...
At least Lauda knows the talent of his son and did not help him buy his way to success.
I remember when Michael Andretti was racing Formula Ford and he changed chassis like four times in one season as he was looking for the car with which he could win, while other less-well-funded drivers gone on with business and honed their craft.
Michael, eventually, did quite well but the amount of cash spent to get him there was not trivial. Do you think he'd have been a champion without Mario's accomplishments?
I rate Nelsinho about the same. Skills? Sure but nothing extraordinary IMHO.
Mike

Paddockman · 10 Feb 2006, 19:02 (Ref:1519859)

Give Piquet the perfect car, a circuit he knows, start him on the front row,make sure the circuit is ultra safe and he will be a winner! If the conditions mentioned above are not met forget it!

Basically he is average but IMO is not up to F1

**Bononi** · 10 Feb 2006, 20:06 (Ref:1519892)

Actually he's not the only Brazil's hope for a future F1 driver, but he has all the resources to get there in a short future. If he will be anything in F1 that's another story. Personally I think he has a heavy weight on his shoulder, being son of a 3 times F1 world champion, but not just that, being his father that kind of man. If people thinks he bought his way through, should learn more about his father and how he runs his son's career. Specially now that his youngest brother started to race go-karts and look promising.

Piquet always supported many drivers (like Jean Alesi) and it's good that a man who made his fortune from racing, is devoted to put some back to the sport.

hotwheels · 10 Feb 2006, 21:29 (Ref:1519936)

Why nobody offers Piquet Jr. a decent drive in F1? Many newcomers made it to F1 this year. Look at Kubica... Maybe, in the f1 paddock, Piquet Jr. has not impressed too much so far.

MichaelH · 10 Feb 2006, 22:52 (Ref:1519994)

I can't stand Nelsinho personally, I've always thought he came across as smug, arrogant, full of himself. Daddy bankrolled him through the junior formulae and through F3 with every possible advantage to be gained to make him competitive, and in a series where equipment was equal and the standard of opposition high (code for: I'm not talking about A1GP!) I felt he was found out last year. Very mediocre season with the odd flash of speed and one excellent drive at Spa. In other words not bad but I don't see F1 potential in this guy.

ASCII Man · 10 Feb 2006, 23:08 (Ref:1520003)

I'd have to agree with MichaelH, he seems too cocky and full of himself without the results to back it up IMO.

**Bononi** · 10 Feb 2006, 23:16 (Ref:1520004)

I never followed his career, so I can't say, just saw a couple of interviews and his father stating that the talent should speak for himself, so if Junior is like you guys say, I fear he will be ending his career very soon. Or maybe his father has money enough to make him a future F1 champion ?
My opinion is that no matter what, F1 champions are made by their talents and their intelligence to manage the odds in the way.

**Bononi** · 10 Feb 2006, 23:20 (Ref:1520007)

Oh... and talent is not a genetically transmitted feature.

ASCII Man · 10 Feb 2006, 23:26 (Ref:1520010)

I watched a couple of GP2 races, and wasn't impressed with Junior, at all.
Maybe he should put his mouth where his results are, ie. his arse.

jondownunder · 10 Feb 2006, 23:40 (Ref:1520016)

I've got nothing against Nelsinho personally, and I do think he's a quite decent driver at least, but I've never forgotten how in SudAm F3 he and Piquet Sports got around a testing ban by turning his F3 Dallara into a sports prototype, with the addition of some Interserie style wheel covers. That's always been in the back of my mind since he came to Europe...

**Born Racer** · 10 Feb 2006, 23:45 (Ref:1520022)

Quote:

talent is not a genetically transmitted feature.

If this is just a quip about him being nowhere near his father's talent, fair enough.

However, if you mean it literally, then I disagree. There are far too many examples of sons of talents being successful for it to be coincidence/connections/nurture.

karimbo · 10 Feb 2006, 23:52 (Ref:1520024)

The Piquets, Senior and Junior, are very talented. Nelsinho won a British F3 title. He's amazing in the rain and is probably better than his father.

The problem is that they like to get "attention" from the media by bashing and slinging mud on their adversaries. Remember in 1988 when Nelson Sr. said that Senna didn't like women. In Brazil it was a national debate. He then said he was badly quoted. It happens all the time. And that's not mentionning what he says about Rubinho or his ex-partner David Hayle of Hitech.

They should just concentrate on making a good job on the track, which they are capable of.

By the way, Mr. Bernie Ecclestone, (have you heard of this man ???) entered the world of Formula 1 in 1977 by being the manager of a young Brazilian driver: Nelson Piquet. He then bought team Brabham, and then the WHOLE thing. Nelsinho couldn't have friends in higher places. Don't worry about his F1 future.

**Bononi** · 10 Feb 2006, 23:57 (Ref:1520031)

Quote:

Originally Posted by Born Racer

If this is just a quip about him being nowhere near his father's talent, fair enough.

However, if you mean it literally, then I disagree. There are far too many examples of sons of talents being successful for it to be coincidence/connections/nurture.

No, I didn1t want to be that scientific !

But maybe talent is a recessive allele...

MikeHoyer · 11 Feb 2006, 03:49 (Ref:1520109)

One thing I noticed about Piquet, when I followed him a bit in 2004 (in British F3), that he seemed to be in control of the race when he was at the front, but put him in the pack, and he didn't seem to have much going for him...

I know it's quite difficult to overtake in F3, but I remember on a couple of occasions, one of the Snetterton races I think he started fourth, and didn't make much impression, and a similar situation at Oulton Park. But in the other races at those rounds, when he was on pole, he destroyed the opposition.

Not sure what that says about the driver, and I haven't really followed him much in 2005, but maybe he isn't much of a wheel-to-wheel "racer". As we know it's hard to overtake in F1, and that might put him at a disadvantage if he doesn't have a devastatingly fast car compared to the opposition.

I agree with what several of the other posters have said, he's good, very good, but possibly not great, and the name and money have gone some way to helping him get where he is today.

ASCII Man · 11 Feb 2006, 23:09 (Ref:1520600)

Rrrright...
Smart comment.

BootsOntheSide · 12 Feb 2006, 21:05 (Ref:1521291)

Motor racing does seem to have more families of successful racers than any other sport, but it's fair to say that Mario Andretti was the first of his family to reach the top, and none of his relatives have shown anywhere near as much talent as him, and the same is true of some other second-generation drivers like Christian Fittipaldi, or indeed Matthias or perhaps Nelsinho. It's certainly an advantage in reaching teh top - you ahve someone behidn you who knows all the pitfalls and hazards of the industry and its characters, someone who can get you the vital connections and contacts, and the press wants you to succeed more, because you're a recognisable name. None of the many 'son of' drivers have reached the top without significant help from their dads, other than JV, but he may have never reached Formula One without their connections after his poor showing in Italian F3. Similarly, Ralf being a Schumacher has helped him.

Bluewolf · 12 Feb 2006, 21:21 (Ref:1521310)

How anyone who got 46 points and 8th in GP 2 could be questioning the skill of someone who got 67 1/2 points and ended up 3rd is beyond me. Jealousy makes people look so foolish. Oh well ----> Human beings

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