Last Tuesday was a special day for the guys in Viry as Nelson Piquet rocked up at the gates of the Renault F1 engine factory for a surprise visit to meet the guys and gals that make his V8 engines. He was accompanied by his engine engineer and fellow Brazilian, Ricardo Penteado, as he walked around the entire factory for a catch-up with the staff.

As you'd expect, everybody was delighted to see him and determined to shake him by the hand and wish him luck for the year ahead. Although some of the engine team see Nelson every other week at the racetracks of the world, the factory-based staff only get to see him when his busy timetable allows. As such, it was nice of Nelson to make the effort to pop in unannounced as he happened to be in the Paris area.

Everyone was curious to find out Nelson's thoughts on the new car and his feedback on the major new rules for the 2009 season. One topic of conversation was the new KERS equipment, which Nelson sampled for the first time in Jerez last month.

Seeing Nelson in such an informal and relaxed atmosphere away from the track was a nice boost for the guys in Viry and will give them some extra motivation as they continue preparing the engines for the year ahead. Before he left Nelson made sure he'd popped into all the departments, signed some autographs and posed for some photos with the guys.

Source: Renault