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'I was just sick and tired of things' - Nelson Piquet Jnr

Nelson Piquet Jnr: 'I could've been [in F1] if I wanted to. A team offered me to be there' © Sutton Images

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Nelson Piquet Jnr has said his move to NASCAR was caused by him being "sick and tired" of the row centring on the Crashgate scandal, although he added he had been offered a Formula One drive.

Last week he announced he was moving to the USA, and in an interview after testing in Florida he outlined the reasons behind his switch.

"I could've been [in F1] if I wanted to. A team offered me to be there. I just thought I was sick and tired of all of the stuff over there. I just took a decision of starting a new step in my career and a new challenge in coming to NASCAR.

"For a lot of people who are outside of America, it's a downgrade. But for people that really understand …maybe it's a downgrade in technology of the car, but in terms of career, of how big the sport is in a lot of ways it's even a tougher step than F1.

"The level of competition and the seriousness and the business of both series are very, very high. I was just sick and tired of things over there. I got a very, very good opportunity over here to start my career here and I'm here."

He also explained how the change being in NASCAR would bring to his way of life. "I had to balance a lot of things," he said. "I had to balance my happiness. I had to balance my opportunities. I had to balance a lot of things and I think the best thing that I came up with was the NASCAR route.

"I think the biggest factor is that I'm having a lot of people behind me helping me, wanting me to be here. A lot of people that I trust and I'm liking. So, all of that has been very good for me. I think that's what has played a big factor into the decision."

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