The Infamous F1 Cheating Scandal Which Destroyed Nelson Piquet Junior’s Career

Formula 1 has seen many controversies throughout the years. Sometimes it’s related to the championship title, and sometimes it can be as teams trying to steal the intellectual property of other teams. Among these most controversial moments lies the infamous ‘Crashgate’ scandal.

Nelson Piquet Jr. son of three times F1 champion Nelson Piquet, was promoted to take the Renault seat in 2008. The 37-year-old Brazilian’s stint in F1 came to an end when he was caught in the crash gate scandal. Piquet jr. was found guilty of triggering a deliberate crash at Singapore Grand Prix back in 2008.

When investigated further, it was revealed that the Brazilian driver did it intentionally in order to make his teammate Fernando Alonso win the race. His crash on lap 14 brought out the safety car, which eventually helped Fernando Alonso to take the lead of the race as he had pitted for new tires just before the crash.

In August 2009, Nelson Piquet Jr. Confessed to FIA that he was compelled to do this. He revealed Renault team boss Flavio Briatore and engineer Pat Symonds asked him to stage the crash. He said, “My situation at Renault turned into a nightmare. Now that I am out of that situation I cannot believe that I agreed to the plan, but when it was put to me I felt that I was in no position to refuse.”

After the scandal, no team wanted Piquet Jr. which forced him to search for another sporting career.

READ MORE: Disgraceful, Pathetic & Sad”: Nelson Piquet’s Malicious Words Go Viral Once Again, Months After Heavy Lewis Hamilton Criticism

Recently, his father, Nelson Piquet, also got wrapped up in a controversy. Piquet Sr. made a controversial statement where he used a racial slur to describe Lewis Hamilton. And now, the three-time world champion has again made a comment about the newly elected Brazil president that did not set well with most people.

Nelson Piquet to be investigated after the recent controversial statement

Nelson Piquet Sr. was seen in a video commenting on the newly elected president and after the video went viral Brazilian law enforcement has been out to investigate Piquet.

In brief, he allegedly wished for Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva’s death. According to the reports, the Brazilian prosecutors will take action against the three-time world champion.

They said, “Nelson Piquet is a person of public notoriety and, because of that, he should know his statements have the potential of reaching hundreds of thousands of people.”

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