37 years ago today
Discussion
Can't let this guys anniversary pass without posting. Gilles Villeneuve, a real legend of the sport.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O37h19-TLmA&t=...
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O37h19-TLmA&t=...
Carstudio said:
Can't let this guys anniversary pass without posting. Gilles Villeneuve, a real legend of the sport.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O37h19-TLmA&t=...
Thank you for posting.https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O37h19-TLmA&t=...
The whole situation was a sad one. The fall out with teammate Didier Pironi in the previous race at Imola seemed to really get to Gille.
Whether he took that to the next GP where he died is a big talking point.
The footage of that race at Imola was special.
Gille was never a World Champion but he was a peoples Champion.
R.I.P to a legend.
Imola race
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MTlG5ZsUefo
One of the best races ever between two drivers??
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fhxMnYlkHeI
Thanks OP. A good find. Before my time. But everything I have ever read or seen about him shows him as a fine man and fantastic race car driver.
Whilst I often bemoan the tedium of watching PR trained drivers of today regurgitating the same drivel at every interview and wish for years previous in F1, I am glad that serious accidents are rare and fatalities rarer.
Whilst I often bemoan the tedium of watching PR trained drivers of today regurgitating the same drivel at every interview and wish for years previous in F1, I am glad that serious accidents are rare and fatalities rarer.
The Donaldson book is indeed excellent. But , although quite dreadfully written in places , 'Pironi-The Champion That Never Was' is well worth reading as it offers a good counterpoint to the usual Saint Gilles beatification . Not a likeable man, Pironi , but I suspect history has never been kind to his legacy.
Villeneuve was hugely exciting to watch- I recall seeing him win Brands' Race of Champions in the outdated 312T3 , which may as well have been a Mk 2 Escort as far as its driver was concerned. More than the proverbial ' dab of oppo '...
Villeneuve was hugely exciting to watch- I recall seeing him win Brands' Race of Champions in the outdated 312T3 , which may as well have been a Mk 2 Escort as far as its driver was concerned. More than the proverbial ' dab of oppo '...
Carstudio said:
Can't let this guys anniversary pass without posting. Gilles Villeneuve, a real legend of the sport.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O37h19-TLmA&t=...
I would love Peter Windsor to write a book on Gilles, he has so many anecdotes about his good friend.https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O37h19-TLmA&t=...
Jacques Villeneuve - Father (lyrics in the description)
DextraKiedis
Published on May 7, 2010
28 ans dejá... Legends will never die.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jpmSX3sj7Bs
Tributo a Gilles Villeneuve
f1worldit
Published on May 8, 2012
La Ferrari vuole ricordare Gilles facendo girare il figlio Jacques con la monoposto che ha partecipato al mondiale di Formula 1 nel 1979.
Jacques è sceso in pista a Fiorano al volante della Ferrari 312 T4, infatti proprio trent'anni fa, moriva Gilles Villeneuve, nelle qualifiche del GP del Belgio l'8 maggio del 1982.
La scuderia di Maranello e la Famiglia
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XyE7afgl3bo
DextraKiedis
Published on May 7, 2010
28 ans dejá... Legends will never die.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jpmSX3sj7Bs
Tributo a Gilles Villeneuve
f1worldit
Published on May 8, 2012
La Ferrari vuole ricordare Gilles facendo girare il figlio Jacques con la monoposto che ha partecipato al mondiale di Formula 1 nel 1979.
Jacques è sceso in pista a Fiorano al volante della Ferrari 312 T4, infatti proprio trent'anni fa, moriva Gilles Villeneuve, nelle qualifiche del GP del Belgio l'8 maggio del 1982.
La scuderia di Maranello e la Famiglia
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XyE7afgl3bo
I saw Gilles Villeneuve race at the USGP at Watkins Glen in 1978 and again in 1979. He was great to watch.
Mario Andretti driving the Lotus 78 had the pole in 1978 race, with the Ferrari 312T3 cars of Carlos Reutemann and Gilles 2nd and 4th on the grid respectively. By lap 4 Reutemann was leading with Gilles in 2nd. Reutemann won the race, but Gilles was out later with a broken piston.
Jody Scheckter and Ferrari won the 1979 Drivers & Constructors Championships with the 312T4 prior to the Watkins Glen race. Jody had won 3 races and Giles 2 going into the weekend.
I viewed the race from the roof of a motorhome parked between the 1st & 2nd corners.
Most of the weekend was wet. Alan Jones qualified on the pole for Williams. Gilles was 3rd and Jody, having a multitude of problems, qualified 16th. Giles got a great start and had the lead going into the 1st corner. Tires were a factor and there were lead changes between Gilles and Jones. There was serious attrition because of the weather with Jones and Scheckter out later in the race. Giles won by a wide margin earning him 2nd in the Drivers Championship in his 2nd full year of racing F1.
He was exciting to watch and I have a lot of respect for him.
Mario Andretti driving the Lotus 78 had the pole in 1978 race, with the Ferrari 312T3 cars of Carlos Reutemann and Gilles 2nd and 4th on the grid respectively. By lap 4 Reutemann was leading with Gilles in 2nd. Reutemann won the race, but Gilles was out later with a broken piston.
Jody Scheckter and Ferrari won the 1979 Drivers & Constructors Championships with the 312T4 prior to the Watkins Glen race. Jody had won 3 races and Giles 2 going into the weekend.
I viewed the race from the roof of a motorhome parked between the 1st & 2nd corners.
Most of the weekend was wet. Alan Jones qualified on the pole for Williams. Gilles was 3rd and Jody, having a multitude of problems, qualified 16th. Giles got a great start and had the lead going into the 1st corner. Tires were a factor and there were lead changes between Gilles and Jones. There was serious attrition because of the weather with Jones and Scheckter out later in the race. Giles won by a wide margin earning him 2nd in the Drivers Championship in his 2nd full year of racing F1.
He was exciting to watch and I have a lot of respect for him.
He was never going to collect his pension , but he was mesmerising to watch . I saw him win the RoC at Brands in 1979 in the outdated Ferrari T3 , which he threw around Druids as it if were a Mk 2 Escort rally car. I saw him make his debut in 1977 at Silverstone too, where , notoriously, he found the M23 's limits by spinning - a lot . As an overall driver , some say he was flawed - he never went for second if a banzai move might net first, always wanted the win not the championship and if the car was sub par he just drive round the problem , like Ronnie Peterson did . Of that era , Lauda was the man I most admired and it was telling how highly Lauda rated GV .
I do feel Gilles was a bit of an enigma, devastating on his day, but could also be simply daft. And often did some stupid things.
As with most people like this he probably had some basic mental health issue.
The closest thing you had to him was Depailler, who was also an avid risk taker but neve really had the same talent or cars to take advantage of it, also died far too young.
I still find it depressing that the man went to his grave hating his team mate and that is possibly what drove him there, life is too short, imagine his pride at seeing Jacques win. Such a pointless waste over what really was not very much, in his eyes it was huge, but in reality it was nothing, just a damn shame.
As with most people like this he probably had some basic mental health issue.
The closest thing you had to him was Depailler, who was also an avid risk taker but neve really had the same talent or cars to take advantage of it, also died far too young.
I still find it depressing that the man went to his grave hating his team mate and that is possibly what drove him there, life is too short, imagine his pride at seeing Jacques win. Such a pointless waste over what really was not very much, in his eyes it was huge, but in reality it was nothing, just a damn shame.
An interesting piece popped up on Autosport.com yesterday (this prompted my thread resurrection)
https://www.autosport.com/f1/news/the-untold-ville...
https://www.autosport.com/f1/news/the-untold-ville...
Gassing Station | Formula 1 | Top of Page | What's New | My Stuff