Nelson Piquet Jr. is returning to full-time racing. The son of the three-time F1 champion is starting a new chapter in his career, committing to the NASCAR Euro Series after a decade away.

One can say that NASCAR and F1 are two key pillars of motorsports. While both bear differences in many aspects, they share the same core principles. Therefore, it isn’t uncommon to see F1 drivers getting into NASCAR.

Piquet Jr. has been signed by Alumitec Racing, which fields the No. 11 Ford Mustang driven by Gianmarco Ercoli. The team is coming off a very strong 2025 season, with Ercoli finishing second in the Euro Pro Championship Final, with a total of 496 points in his tally.

Interestingly, back in 2020, Piquet Jr. told Autosport he was considering a return to NASCAR, citing two reasons. He believed that he could still be competitive between the ages of 40 and 50. However, while now he makes his debut in the NASCAR Euro Series, back then, he didn’t see himself staying in Europe post-retirement.

"I don't see myself living in Europe after retiring or having a business there; my businesses are in Brazil and the United States. Making NASCAR for me seems more realistic than F1, Formula E, or Indy,” he said back then.

Piquet Jr. got his big break in F1 in the 2008 season, when he got promoted to drive alongside Fernando Alonso for the Renault Formula One team, with whom he stayed for two seasons, before being dropped in 2009 following the infamous ‘Crashgate’ s******.

He then made his NASCAR debut in 2010, beginning with Red Horse Racing in the Craftsman Truck series. Over the next four years, he would drive for various teams before taking a brief hiatus at the end of the 2014 season. In 2016, he had a short-lived career in the Xfinity Series, driving the No. 98 Ford for Biagi-DenBeste Racing.

Meanwhile, Max Verstappen Has Ruled Out his NASCAR Appearance

While Piquet Jr. makes his return to NASCAR, Max Verstappen recently reinforced his statement on not entering NASCAR anytime soon, and it isn’t the first time he has made his stance on this matter clear. For the uninformed, Verstappen’s girlfriend, Kelly, is the sister of Piquet Jr.

In a recent tweet by Autosport, Verstappen clarified the racing series he would like to participate in someday. While the World Endurance Championship, the Supercars Championship, and GT World Challenge were green-lit, he said no to NASCAR, IndyCar, and WRC.

Verstappen’s reluctance to enter NASCAR goes back a few years. During an interview in 2022, the Red Bull Racing driver admitted that while he does race stock cars on his simulator, the learning curve is a lot different in real-life.

“I do race a bit of let’s say NASCAR on my simulator at home, and it’s a completely different discipline. So, for us to get good at it, it would also take quite a bit of time. It’s not easy, and, it’s the other way around for them as well. You know, to get good in a pod car or whatever. It also takes time. You need to really grow up with it,” he concluded.

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Written by

Aaradhya Singh

Edited by

Kaamna Dwivedi