After a rookie season with precious few highlights, Nelson Piquet Jr has everything to prove in 2009.

He spent too much of his first year of Formula 1 either in the midfield or climbing out of a mangled car.

Renault team boss Flavio Briatore is not renowned for his patience, but he has opted to give Piquet a second chance to prove that he is made of the same stuff as his three-time world champion father and namesake.

That generosity will be tested if Piquet doesn’t get closer to team-mate Fernando Alonso this year.

However the team believes he has the ability and just needs to start delivering under pressure when it really counts.


Career log

Piquet had his detractors during his formative years – being accused of arrogance, and of having his career path laid out on a plate thanks to his family wealth and famous surname.

Tests with Williams and BAR led nowhere, with Williams choosing Nico Rosberg instead, and Piquet scathingly dismissing his BAR run as a team PR stunt.

But Briatore – one of the most astute talent-spotters in the paddock – thought he was the real deal.

When Heikki Kovalainen was promoted to the Renault race team, Briatore snapped up Piquet ahead of Renault’s own Driver Development protégés to fill the vacant reserve role in preparation for a 2008 race seat.

Despite his year of testing, Piquet struggled for speed in his early GPs.

He would often shine in practice, only to under-perform in qualifying and then struggle to recover.

His form picked up, as he beat team-mate Alonso to seventh in France, then benefited from some good fortune with pit stop and safety car timing to lead the German GP and finish second.

But his finest hour came in Japan, where he charged from the midfield to push Kimi Raikkonen for third.

That handful of highlights didn’t make up for his seven shunt-related retirements, though.


The early years

Nelsinho has been in the spotlight since the moment his racing career began.

After extensive testing, he made his debut in South American Formula 3 halfway through 2001, aged just 16, and almost won his very first race.

The excitement over the emergence of the ‘new Piquet’ was such that the humble F3 event was broadcast live on a major Brazilian TV station.

Piquet was a race winner before the year was out, then stormed to the 2002 title.

His father decreed that he should then head for British F3 – but rather than placing him with an existing top squad, the entire Piquet Sports team upped sticks for the UK.

A highly promising first season brought Piquet six wins and third in the standings.

He was an overwhelming favourite for the 2004 championship, and after a shaky start he duly delivered.

Piquet Sports then stepped up to the inaugural GP2 season, where Nelsinho ended a luckless first year with a win in the wet at Spa.

He also briefly dabbled with A1GP, winning the series’ first ever rounds for his national team.

Piquet stayed in GP2 for 2006, won the opening round, and soon established a championship lead.

But then rookie Lewis Hamilton hit form and ultimately pipped him to the title despite a late surge from Piquet.