 Nyorai kupfuurira kweiyi ndima - Muna 1979, Piquet akakwikwidza mumwaka wake wokutanga wakakwana muFormula One. Akamhanyirazve timu yeBrabham, pamwe chete nemukundi wenyika kaviri, Niki Lauda. Mwaka wacho wakanga wakaoma nokuda kwechikwata, icho chakanga chakajaira kubudirira. Piquet akasiya makwikwi gumi nerimwe pamakwikwi gumi nemashanu mumwaka. Akatanga mwaka wake achibatanidzwa mune yekutanga-kutenderera kuwanda uye kukuvara paArgentina Grand Prix muBuenos Aires uye kurovera muClay Regazzonis Williams mota paBrazil Grand Prix kuInterlagos. Pfungwa dzokutanga dzebasa rake dzakauya paDutch Grand Prix, kwaakapedza wechina. Akanga ane tsaona huru paItaly Grand Prix; chikamu chekumashure cheBT48 yake chakabviswa zvachose paMonzas Curva Grande kona mushure meimwe tsaona naRegazzoni; Piquet akafamba asina kukuvara. Asi kunyange zvazvo akadonha kanoverengeka achityaira motokari inokwikwidza ine injini isingavimbiki, Piquet akakwanisa kupinda mumakwikwi mashanu okutanga kanoverengeka - kakawanda achipfuura Lauda. Mavhiki maviri pashure pedenderedzwa rokuItaly, Lauda akangoerekana arega kutyaira pamberi pokutanga kweCanadian Grand Prix, achisiya Piquet semutyairi wenhamba yekutanga yeBrabham, uye achimusiya iye uye mutsva mutsva Ricardo Zunino kuti vatange iyo BT49 nyowani, yaive neinjini yeFord-Cosworth DFV; Brabham yakasiya Alfa Romeo V12s achipikisa Alfa Romeo kupinda sechikwata chakazara chebasa. Mumakwikwi okupedzisira, United States Grand Prix paWatkins Glen, Piquet akatanga kubva pamutsetse wokutanga ndokutora rwendo rwekukurumidza mumakwikwi, achiratidza zvakajeka mikana yakawanda yeBT49 itsva. 