Gilles Villeneuve

Gilles Villeneuve

File:Villeneuve Monza 1981.jpg
Formula One World Championship career
Nationality	Canadian
Active years	1977 - 1982
Teams	McLaren, Ferrari
Entries	68
Championships	0 (2nd in 1979)
Wins	6
Podiums	13
Pole positions	2
Fastest laps	8
First entry	1977 British Grand Prix
First win	1978 Canadian Grand Prix
Last win	1981 Spanish Grand Prix
Last entry	1982 Belgian Grand Prix

For other members of the family, see Jacques Villeneuve and Jacques Villeneuve (elder). For other meanings, see Villeneuve.

Joseph Gilles Henri Villeneuve (Gilles Villeneuve pronounced [ʒil vilnœv]) (January 18, 1950 – May 8, 1982) was a Canadian Formula One racing driver. An enthusiast of cars and fast driving from an early age, he started his professional career in snowmobile racing in his native province of Quebec. He moved into single seaters - winning the US and Canadian Formula Atlantic championships in 1976 before being offered a one-off drive with McLaren at the 1977 British Grand Prix. He was taken on by reigning world champions Ferrari for the end of the season - in only his fifth season racing cars - and from 1978 to his death in 1982 drove for the Italian team. He won six Grand Prix races in a short career at the highest level. In 1979 he finished second by four points in the championship to teammate Jody Scheckter.

Villeneuve died in a 140 mph crash with the March of Jochen Mass during practice for the 1982 Belgian Grand Prix at Zolder (see more below). The accident came only two weeks after an intense argument with his team-mate, Didier Pironi, over Pironi's move to pass Villeneuve at Imola. At the time of his death, Villeneuve was extremely popular with fans and with many journalists, on whom his death had a profound effect. Since 1982 he has become an iconic figure in the history of the sport, renowned for his car control and for a 'never give up' attitude. His son, Jacques Villeneuve, became Formula One world champion in 1997.

Personal and early life

Villeneuve was born in Richelieu, a small town in the French-speaking province of Quebec in Canada and grew up in the nearby town of Berthierville. He married Joann Barthe in 1970, with whom he had two children, Jacques and Melanie. During his early career Villeneuve took his family on the road with him in a motorhome during the racing season, a habit which he continued to some extent during his Formula One career. He often claimed to have been born in 1952. By the time he got his break in Formula One, he was already 27 years old and took two years off his age to avoid being considered too old to make it at the highest level of motorsports.

Like certain other great drivers, including Clark and Senna, Villeneuve was a curious mixture of seemingly disparate personality types. Lauda wrote of him, "He was the craziest devil I ever came across in Formula 1... The fact that, for all this, he was a sensitive and lovable character rather than an out-and-out hell-raiser made him such a unique human being". Flying, snowmobiling or driving, he was a risk-taker of classic proportions. Yet his fellow drivers said that on the track he was scrupulously fair and did not put anyone's safety other than his own in jeopardy and those who worked with him usually referred to him as introverted. This combination of traits made him exceptionally popular not only with fans but with teammates and opponents as well.

His younger brother Jacques, known as "uncle Jacques", also had a successful racing career in Formula Atlantic, Can Am and CART. Gilles' son, also named Jacques, won the Indianapolis 500 and CART championships in 1995 and became Formula One World Champion in 1997.

Racing career

Pre-Formula One

Villeneuve started competitive driving in local drag-racing events, entering his road car, a modified 1967 Ford Mustang. He was soon bored by this and entered the Jim Russell Racing School at Le Circuit Mont Tremblant to gain a racing license. He then had a very successful season in Quebec regional Formula Ford, running his own two year old car and winning seven of the ten races he entered. He also continued to race snowmobiles, Money was very tight in Villeneuve's early career. He was a professional racing driver from his late teens, with no other income. In the first few years the bulk of his income actually came from snowmobile racing, where he was extremely successful and could demand appearance money as well as race money. His second season in Formula Atlantic was part-sponsored by his snowmobile manufacturer, Skiroule. In fact, he credited some of his success to his snowmobiling days: "Every winter, you would reckon on three or four big spills - and I'm talking about being thrown on to the ice at 100 mph. Those things used to slide a lot, which taught me a great deal about control. And the visibility was terrible! Unless you were leading, you could see nothing, with all the snow blowing about. Good for the reactions - and it stopped me having any worries about racing in the rain."

Formula Atlantic

In 1974 he progressed to Formula Atlantic, competing there for four years, running his own car again for one season.In 1975 he won his first race at Gimli Motosport Park in heavy rain.

The following year teamed with Chris Harrison's Ecurie Canada and factory March race engineer Ray Wardell, Gilles becqme very successful, dominating the 1976 season by winning 10 of 11 races and taking the US and Canadian titles. It was at Trois Riviers that he beat James Hunt Patrick Depailleur Vittoria Brambilla and other Grand Prix stars in a surprising race which lead to other opportunities in Europe.

He won the Canadian championship again in 1977. He also raced in Formula Atlantic South Africa and at Pau in Spain.

Formula One

File:1978 Brands Hatch Ferrari 312T3 Gilles Villeneuve.jpg

Villeneuve in his first full season of Formula One

After Villeneuve impressed McLaren driver James Hunt by beating him in a non-championship Formula Atlantic race at Trois Rivieres. McLaren offered Villeneuve a deal for five races in a third car during 1977 and the young Canadian made his debut at the 1977 British Grand Prix. Villeneuve qualified an impressive 9th in McLaren's old M23, splitting the regular drivers Hunt and Jochen Mass. Delayed for two laps by a faulty temperature gauge he ran competitively, setting fifth fastest lap and finishing 11th. Despite this the team decided not to opt for Villeneuve's services again. Then in August 1977, Maranello called. When Ferrari first met Villeneuve, he was immediately reminded of the legendary Tazio Nuvolari. The obvious interest shown by Ferrari towards Villeneuve prompted Niki Lauda to leave at Mosport, having already clinched his second championship. In the race, Gilles retired, after going off on another competitor's oil. He also raced in Japan, but also retired. On lap five of the race, Gilles tried to outbrake the Tyrrell P34 of Ronnie Peterson, but the pair banged wheels. Gilles' Ferrari went airborne and crashed down onto two spectators watching the race from a prohibited area. Both were killed.

After making his debut for Ferrari, he would later remark that: "If someone said to me that you can have three wishes, my first would have been to get into racing, my second to be in Formula 1, my third to drive for Ferrari..."

The 1978 season saw a succession of retirements for Villeneuve, often after problems with the new Michelin radial tyres, but also due to his own inexperience - this was his fifth season of car racing. Despite calls in the Italian press for him to be replaced, Ferrari persisted with him and Villeneuve scored his first Grand Prix victory at his home race at the end of the season in front of an ecstatic crowd.

Villeneuve was joined by Jody Scheckter for 1979 after Carlos Reutemann moved to Lotus. The pair finished first and second in the championship, with Scheckter beating Villeneuve by just four points. Villeneuve won three races during the year. The 1980 season was a complete disaster. Villeneuve had been considered favourite for the drivers championship by UK bookmakers, but would only score six points in the whole campaign in the unwieldy 312T4 which had only partial ground effects. His world champion team-mate could manage only a single point and retired at the end of the season.

In 1981 Ferrari's first turbo engined car, the 126C1, was hardly an improvement. Although it produced tremendous power its handling was poor. Villeneuve, partnered by Didier Pironi, managed two wins during the season, both against the odds. For 1982 Villeneuve's first few races were blighted by mechanical failures and accidents. At Imola he was overtaken by his team-mate near the finish, while leading. Gilles Villeneuve died in an accident in qualifying for the next race at Zolder.

Notable races

Perhaps one of Villenuve's most memorable races, the 1979 French Grand Prix, where he and René Arnoux had a memorbale race, even if it was "just" for second place.

Dijon 1979: Remembered for his frenetic style which seemed more like that of a rally driver, Villeneuve's wheel-banging duel with René Arnoux in the last laps of the 1979 French Grand Prix at the Dijon circuit, when he stubbornly refused to accept his 312T4 was slower than Arnoux's faster Renault was one of the most intense moments in Formula One racing. Arnoux passed Villeneuve for second place with three laps to go, but Villeneuve re-passed him on the next lap. On the final lap Arnoux attempted to pass Villeneuve again, and the pair ran side-by-side through the first several corners of the lap, making contact several times. Arnoux took the position, but Villeneuve attempted an outside pass one corner later. The cars bumped hard, and Villenevue slid wide. Villeneuve then tried and inside pass at a hairpin turn and managed to make it stick. He then held off Arnoux for the last half of the lap to secure 2nd place.

Zandvoort 1979: Remembered for Villeneuve's determination, as he had gone off the track and his rear-left wheel had come off; instead of retiring on the spot, he continued racing on three wheels, and in some moments on two wheels. He retired later on during the race.

Jarama 1981: Perhaps Villeneuve's greatest achievements came in 1981 at Jarama, where he wrestled an unwieldy turbo Ferrari 126C1 to victory in a classic of defensive driving at the 1981 Spanish Grand Prix, keeping 5 quicker cars behind him using his tactical acumen and the superior straightline speed of his car. After an hour and 46 minutes of racing, Villeneuve led second placed Jacques Laffite by only 0.22 seconds; fifth placed Elio de Angelis was only just over a second further back.

Argument with Pironi

Villeneuve went into 1982 a clear favourite for the crown. He was widely regarded as the best Formula One driver in the field, and Ferrari, with new designer Harvey Postlethwaite, produced an excellent design. After glimpses of promise in the opening races, Villeneuve was back at the front for the FOCA-boycotted San Marino Grand Prix only for his team-mate Didier Pironi to disobey team orders and beat him to the line. It is Villeneuve's widely believed claim that he was merely coasting at that point, in the knowledge that victory was in the bag and trusted Pironi to do likewise under orders. Feeling betrayed and angry, Villeneuve vowed never to speak to Pironi again.

Death

Tragedy struck at the next race on the calendar. On May 8, 1982, on his final qualifying lap for the Belgian Grand Prix at Zolder, the front left wheel of his car came into contact with the right rear wheel of Jochen Mass's car, which was on a slow 'in' lap. Villeneuve's car was launched into the air before nose-diving into the soft earthen embankment just outside the armco and somersaulting along the side of the track. The violence of the accident reduced the car to its cockpit, and ripped Villeneuve's seat from the back of the monocoque. Villeneuve, still strapped to his seat, was thrown across the track and into the catch fencing just outside the corner. When the medical team arrived, he was not breathing. Villeneuve was resuscitated at the scene, but his injuries were fatal. He died in a local hospital that evening. Mercifully, his fatal injuries were likely caused by the force of his car landing for the first time after the initial impact. If his death was not greeted with great shock and surprise (everyone knew his style), that was more than offset by the profound sadness it produced. Even René Arnoux, his adversary in the Dijon epic, confessed that he cried the day Gilles died and the day after.

Legacy

Villeneuve had already become an iconic figure before his death. His determination to win was obvious from outside the cockpit in the frequent oversteer and wheel-banging with his competitors. This endeared him to the crowd, and combined with his unusually open and honest approach, to many of the press as well. After the tragic death of Ronnie Peterson, Villeneuve was seen as his natural successor as the fastest natural driver on the grid.

At the funeral in Berthierville, former team-mate, Jody Scheckter, delivered a simple eulogy: “I will miss Gilles for two reasons. First, he was the fastest driver in the history of motor racing. Second, he was the most genuine man I have ever known. But he has not gone. The memory of what he has done, what he achieved, will always be there.”

More than a decade later, Scheckter’s prophecy remains true. His spectacular driving is still considered an art form among Formula One fans. He is still remembered at Grand Prix races, especially those in Italy. There is a bronze bust of him at the entrance to the Ferrari test track; a challenging corner at the Imola Track, site of the San Marino Grand Prix, is named Curva Gilles Villeneuve; a Canadian flag is painted on the spot where he started his last race.

The racetrack on Île Notre-Dame, Montreal, used for the Formula One Canadian Grand Prix and Champ Car Grand Prix of Montreal, was renamed in his honour at the Canadian Grand Prix of 1982 after his death. His homeland has continued to honor him. In Berthierville, a museum was opened in 1992 and a lifelike statue stands in a nearby park named in his honour. Villeneuve was inducted into the Canadian Motorsport Hall of Fame at their inaugaural induction ceremony at the Four Seasons Hotel, Toronto, Ontario, August 19, 1993. In June 1997, Canada issued a postage stamp in honor of its favorite racing son.

There is still a huge demand for Villeneuve memorabilia at the race-track shops, and several books have been written about him. A film based on the biography by Gerald Donaldson was announced in 2005, intended for release in 2007.

"Gilles was the perfect racing driver ... with the best talent of all of us.” This was the assessment of Niki Lauda whom Villeneuve replaced in 1977 as a member of the Ferrari team of Formula One drivers. It is an opinion shared by many other Grand Prix drivers and veteran journalists who covered the sport.

Helmet

Villeneuve's helmet carried a stylised 'V' in red on either side - an effect he devised with his wife Joann. The base colour was black. His son, Jacques, uses the same basic design, but like his contemporary, Christian Fittipaldi, has changed the colours.

Complete Formula One results

(key) (Races in bold indicate pole position)

Year	Team	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	11	12	13	14	15	16	17	Team	WDC	Points
1977	McLaren Ferrari	ARG DNP	BRA DNP	RSA DNP	USAW DNP	ESP DNP	MON DNP	BEL DNP	SWE DNP	FRA DNP	GBR 11	DEU DNP	AUT DNP	HOL DNP	ITA DNP	USA DNP	CAN 12	JPN ret	McLaren Ferrari	N/A	0
1978	Ferrari	ARG 8	BRA ret	RSA ret	USAW ret	MON ret	BEL 4	ESP 10	SWE 9	FRA 12	GBR ret	DEU 8	AUT 3	HOL 6	ITA 7	USA ret	CAN 1		Ferrari	10	17
1979	Ferrari	ARG ret	BRA 5	RSA 1	USAW 1	ESP 7	BEL 7	MON ret	FRA 2	GBR 14	DEU 8	AUT 2	HOL ret	ITA 2	CAN 2	USA 1			Ferrari	2	53
1980	Ferrari	ARG ret	BRA 16	RSA ret	USAW ret	BEL 6	MON 5	FRA 8	GBR ret	DEU 6	AUT 8	HOL 7	ITA ret	CAN 5	USA ret				Ferrari	12	6
1981	Ferrari	USAW ret	BRA ret	ARG ret	RSM 7	BEL 4	MON 1	ESP 1	FRA ret	GBR ret	DEU 10	AUT ret	HOL ret	ITA ret	CAN 3	LAS DSQ			Ferrari	7	25
1982	Ferrari	RSA ret	BRA ret	USAW DSQ	RSM 2	BEL DNS	MON	USAE	CAN	DUT	GBR	FRA	GER	AUT	SWI	ITA	LAS		Ferrari	16	6

References

All Formula One race and championship results are taken from:

• Official Formula 1 Website. Archive: Results for 1977 – 1982 seasons www.formula1.com Retrieved 18 July 2006

All Pre-Formula One race and championship results are taken from:

• Donaldson, Gerald (1989, 2003) Gilles Villeneuve Virgin Books ISBN 0753507471 - Gilles Villeneuve race results p.310 - 315

External links

• Tribute to Gilles
• Canadian Motorsport Hall of Fame
• Tribute to Ayrton Senna and Gilles Villeneuve
• http://www.gilles.villeneuve.com/english/
• http://www.gillesvilleneuve.com
• CBC Digital Archives - Gilles Villeneuve: Racing at the speed of light
• The career of Gilles Villeneuve