Nelson Piquet 'dragged into jewels scandal' involving former Brazilian president Bolsonaro

Nelson Piquet

Nelson Piquet 'dragged into jewels scandal' involving former Brazilian president Bolsonaro

The former Williams driver has found himself in a multitude of ignominious situations in recent years

Chris Deeley Editor

Experienced sports writer covering F1 and other motorsports since 2023

Saturday 8 April 2023 21:57 Updated: 08:36

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Former Brazilian president Jair Bolsonaro reportedly used former Formula 1 driver Nelson Piquet's farm to store a set of jewels given to him by the Saudi government.

Brazilian outlet Globo claims it confirmed reports by O Estado de S. Paulo that Bolsonaro stashed the jewels and other items in a shed on the farm after being voted out of office last year.

The jewels – one of multiple sets gifted on that trip – were given to the then-president of Brazil on a trip to Qatar and Saudi Arabia in 2019.

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The implication reportedly being made is that Bolsonaro tried to 'be smart' and not declare the existence of the jewels, allowing him to keep them for himself without declaring the gift for legal and tax purposes.

Piquet and Bolsonaro

Three-time F1 world champion Piquet has been a vocal supporter of the right-wing politician, describing himself as 'Bolsonaro to death', and got in hot water last year after the president was defeated by Lula da Silva in a close election.

"We're going to get Lula, son of a *****, out of here," he said in a video posted online. The other man in the video added: "That's it! Brazil above everything, God above everything," before Piquet said: "And Lula there in a cemetery, son of a *****."

Last month, Piquet was ordered to pay around £780k by a Brazilian court for racist and homophobic comments about Lewis Hamilton, the judge declaring that the large fine was given "so that, as a society, we can some day be free from the pernicious acts that are racism and homophobia."

Piquet's comments were roundly condemned by the F1 community when they came to light, and the former Williams driver has been largely pushed to the fringes of the sport – although his daughter Kelly is currently dating world champion Max Verstappen.