Piquet hospitalized to sort out heart trouble

Former three-time Formula 1 world champion Nelson Piquet was admitted into a Sao Paulo hospital for heart trouble, Brazilian media reported on Wednesday.

The 61-year-old retired Brazilian driver Piquet underwent surgery on a blocked artery late on Tuesday at Albert Einstein hospital in Sao Paulo, the online edition of the daily O Estado de Sao Paulo reported.

The daily noted that the hospital did not confirm the operation, however, and that Piquet’s spokespersons said he did not wish to disclose any details about his health.

Piquet, who raced with Brabham, Williams, Lotus and Benetton in a 13-year Formula 1 career, won the world championship in 1981, 1983 and 1987.

In 2011, he told Brazilian TV channel SportTV in an interview that he suffered from a coronary malformation and was in treatment to achieve greater quality of life. AFP