Piquet: I have never been treated like Alonso

Nelson Piquet has just been officially dismissed by the Renault F1 Team. The team has not yet issued any statement, probably waiting to define his replacement. The Brazilian, newly released on the transfer market, is nevertheless angry and takes aim at Briatore once again.

Piquet has always demanded fair treatment within the French team. He often compared himself to Fernando Alonso, highlighting the characteristics of the car, always a notch below that of his teammate. The Brazilian is dismayed and never saw his contract being respected: « For the 2009 season, Briatore… had promised me that everything would be different, that I would be treated as I should be and, above all, fairly. »

« He made me sign a contract linked to my performance. I had to score at least 40% of Fernando Alonso’s points by mid-season. At the start of the season, and treated the same way as my teammate, I was confident, but the promises were not kept. With the new car, I did 2002 kilometers whereas Fernando Alonso did 3839. Only 3 days of testing were dry for me, while only one day of testing was wet for Alonso! »

Continuing the comparison, the Brazilian comments: « I have always tested with a car heavy on fuel, with hard tires and always at the beginning of the test week, when the track is dirty. Or when the weather was bad, the opposite for Fernando Alonso. I never had the chance to prepare for the qualifications. Nowadays, the difference between first and 15th place is one second. This means that for 2 or 3 tenths, I could gain 8 places. »

Nelson Piquet is nevertheless confident about the continuation of his career in Formula 1, but he blames his detractor, Briatore, who he believes put a stop to his F1 story: « I have no doubt about my talent and my performances. I still believe it, and everyone who knows my history knows that the results I had in F1 do not match those I had throughout my single-seater career and do not reflect reality… »

« The conditions I have faced over the past two years are very strange – to say the least. There are incidents I can still hardly believe. If now I need someone to explain them to me, I’m sure it will be because of the unequal situation I’ve been in these past two years… »

« I have always believed that having a manager in a team was a plus, like having a sponsor. A manager is supposed to encourage you, support you, and offer you every opportunity to do better. In my case, it was the opposite, Flavio Briatore was my detractor. »