IN BRIEF : Piquet Released From Hospital

Formula one driver Nelson Piquet of Brazil was released from a hospital today where he had been treated for a fractured rib after falling on his yacht. The driver was expected to stay here for several days for medical treatment and examinations.

Claudio Costa, a doctor who has been examining Piquet, said the driver probably would be able to begin testing his brand-new Lotus-Judd racer in Rio de Janeiro on March 13.

“For sure he will start in the Brazilian Grand Prix, although I suspect he will have to clench his teeth on the very twisty circuit which is very demanding, physically, for the drivers,” said Costa, who specializes in treating auto and motorcycle racers. The Brazilian Grand Prix, the inaugural race of the 1989 world formula one championship, is scheduled for March 26.

Piquet, 36, a three-time world formula one champion, was hospitalized Sunday when he fell on the deck of his yacht.