Formula One news
Gilles Villeneuve remembered
08 May 2007Tuesday marked the 25th anniversary of Gilles Villeneuve's death. The legendary myth of one of Formula One's greatest drivers is now a quarter of a century old and his spirit should be remembered by any fan who regards excitement and passion as the cornerstone of motor racing.
|
|
 |
The Canadian died on 8 May 1982 during practice for the Belgian Grand Prix at Zolder, aged 32. Despite his iconic status, Villeneuve's F1 career of four and a bit years was very short-lived. He first started plying his unique driving style racing snowmobiles in the province of Quebec. He later made a name for himself racing in Formula Atlantic where he impressed enough to be given his F1 debut for McLaren at the Silverstone Grand Prix in 1977. Despite being immediately quick, McLaren did not take its option up on Villeneuve for the following season, leaving Enzo Ferrari to realise Villeneuve's dream of driving for the Italian giants by signing him for 1978, where he remained for the rest of his career. The first of his six wins came at his home Grand Prix in 1979. The rest of his F1 achievements reads as follows; 67 starts, 14 podium finishes, 2 poles and 8 fastest laps.
However, to talk of statistics simply does not do justice to Gilles Villeneuve. Surprisingly he never won a world championship either but that would not have bothered the man who only raced for the love of racing. It was the essence of his existence and his passion for the sport has been unsurpassed since. He never looked beyond the next apex and his only concern was making the car go as fast as possible. Victory was the burning desire - he would never settle for less often at his own expense. Despite his aggressive manner on the track, he was a friendly presence off it and an inspiration to every driver, especially his team-mates who saw his genius first hand; James Hunt, Carlos Reutemann, Jody Sheckter and Didier Pironi.
 |
Gilles Villeneuve could always be relied upon to provide the drama - a much missed ingredient in motorsport today. He had an unusual amount of accidents and breathed life into the seemingly impossible. His wheel-banging battle with René Arnoux in the final laps of the 1979 French Grand Prix at Dijon is often cited as any racing driver's favourite memory. In a slower car, Villeneuve managed to hold off the sneering Renault to deny the French manufacturer a one-two in front of its home crowd, as the pair exchanged rubber and overtaking tips. In the same year during an extremely wet practice session for the race at Watkins Glen, Villenueve set the fastest lap by 11 seconds - his team-mate of the time Sheckter was left speechless. Then at the Spanish Grand Prix of 1981 at Jarama, Villeneuve wrung the neck of his sluggish turbo Ferrari 126 C1 to take victory ahead of a queue of drivers biting at his tail, wishing he had never been born. Only a second separated the top six and in an hour and 46 minutes of racing, Villeneuve had performed the perfect practical on defensive driving.
Today his contribution to the sport is honoured across the racing globe. At Imola, a Canadian flag is painted on the spot where he started his last Grand Prix and the naming of one of the corners 'Curva Gilles Villeneuve' shows his popularity with the tifosi. The Montreal track has been named after him and the corner where he died at Zolder has been turned into a chicane and also bears his name.
Thus Gilles Villeneuve's legend is living proof that the record book knows nothing. He may not have won a championship but he won the hearts of racing drivers and fans alike.
more news
- 11 Nov.
- 10 Nov.
- 1994 Benetton for sale on eBay
- Brawn: Virgin renewal doubtful
- Jerez December test: The line-up
- Brawn: 99 percent sure Button will stay
- Photos: Brawn GP parade in Brackley
- Bortolotti to join Toro Rosso at Jerez test
- Domenicali: Ferrari wary of 2009 contenders
- 'The highest achievement of my career' - Brawn
- Michael: Change tracks for more overtaking
- 09 Nov.
- 08 Nov.
- 07 Nov.
- 06 Nov.
- 05 Nov.
- 04 Nov.
more news
Test Schedule
| 04 Dec. | 
Jerez |
 |
| 03 Dec. |
Jerez |
|
| 02 Dec. |
Jerez |
|
| 01 Dec. |
Jerez |
|
| full overview | ||
|---|---|---|