Piquet suggested that some of his critics had an ulterior motive because of his connections in Brazilian politics.
“There is so much bullshit going on particularly there in Brazil,” he said. “You may not know that I am very close to President Bolsonaro and I think he is very good for Brazil. But the press in Brazil is very negative about him and anything they can do to discredit him they will do, so if they discredit me, it rubs off on him because Brazil knows we are close.”
The former Williams driver, who is also the father of Max Verstappen’s girlfriend, said that his low-key appearance at the Le Mans Classic was long-planned.
Tucked away unheralded among the almost 600 entries at the historic event was his 1970 Porsche 914/6 GT, one of the slowest machines in its 1966-1971 group, and shared with Fred Della Noce and Dener Pires.
Piquet implied that being banned from the Formula 1 paddock would have little effect on him, as he rarely attends races.
“When I stopped racing I went into business in Brazil and it has been very busy building up that business, so really there are very few places I go from my motor racing life,” he said. “I was invited to drive this little Porsche 914 by a friend – a very slow car, less than 200hp, but I thought I would come here to have some fun.
Piquet and two friends were among the Le Mans Classic runners last weekend
DPPI
“I came here with the McLaren [F1 GTR] in ‘96 and ‘97 and I still remember the circuit a little bit – so I am just doing something to have fun with friends.”
“I am feeling well, the business is good and Brazil is going well these days. Actually, I have to say, I hope to have fun for another ten years.”
As he was called away by his team-mates to prepare for the race, Piquet reiterated his view of his recent controversy, saying: “I really don’t care.”