The fear of death versus the thrill of speed—drivers walk a double-edged sword. Julia Yasmeen Piquet, daughter of Nelson Piquet, a legendary F1 driver in the 1980s and 1990s, recalled the terrifying crash of 1992 her father had endured in the Indianapolis 500 that still “makes the hairs on the back of my neck stand up.”

The Indy Car Series is one of the most prestigious, oldest, and most significant automobile races. Competing in it is a lifelong goal for many drivers. Nelson Piquet may have a varied athletic resume, having competed in tennis, karting, Formula One, and the Indianapolis 500. But the last one proved to be deadly for him. 

Julia Yasmeen Piquet remembering Nelson Piquet’s frightening collision at the Indianapolis 500

To compete in the 1992 Indianapolis 500, Piquet joined Team Menard. Despite never having raced on an oval before, he seemed to adapt well to the track and was comfortable driving at fast speeds. While practicing on May 7, 1992, Piquet’s vehicle hit a metal shard and continued at full speed into turn 3. Piquet was going around turn 4 when he decided to enter the pit lane early, causing the vehicle to spin out of control and crash into the wall. 

Shards and smoke had enveloped the scene. Far from competing in the race, Piquet’s survival hung in the balance for days. His legs, feet, and ankles were severely injured in the accident, and he had several skin grafts to fix them. He also had metal rods poking through his left calf and a deep cut above his right knee. 

His daughter, Julia Yasmeen Piquet, recently shared an Instagram post about the tragic catastrophe, saying it still haunts her. She wrote, “May 7th, 1992. I was born 12 hours later. @indianapolismotorspeedway is the only track in the world that makes the hairs on the back of my neck stand up.“

Coming out of the surgeries, he moved to an apartment to begin his therapy. However, he was resolute about “the only bad thing that’s ever happened.“

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Not just Piquet, Indy recorded one of its darkest months, including a fatality after a decade’s time

Piquet, once allowed to speak again, said in a Washington Post interview, “Racing is over for me, I had a very wonderful career. Now I just want to be able to enjoy life… and walk again. For 20 years I’ve raced, and this is really the only bad thing that’s ever happened to me, so I have no complaints,” he added. “I have a beautiful girlfriend, my family, and my friends here with me, and I feel better every day.”

Looking back on his accident, Piquet admitted that he dropped the ball on the 2 1/2-mile track at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway when the crash occurred. “I lifted out of the throttle and tried to come into the pits, and just like that, I was in the wall,” he added. In fact, during the 1992 Indianapolis 500 Practice, many participants were involved in tragic incidents around the same time.

After Nelson Piquet, two days later, Hiro Matsushita of Japan had a run-in that left him with a broken leg. And on May 16, 1992, Jovy Marcelo, 27, while attempting to make his mark at the Indianapolis 500, tragically lost his life in a practice crash.

Tragic mishaps are a reality of motorsport racing. But May 1992 goes down as one of the darkest months of Indy history.

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