Gilles Villeneuve

Biography

Beginnings

Impassioned by the car since his childhood, Gilles Villeneuve begins his career at his exit from the college. He incrit first of all in tests of acceleration (dragsters) at the wheel of his Ford Mustang personal, but for lack of money, turns quickly to the tests of Motoneige, financially more accessible, but especially more lucrative. This profitable first part of career leads to a championship of the world in 1974 as well as multiple titles in Canada and the United States. Thanks to the money accumulated as a professional pilot of motor bike-snow, Gilles can in parallel turn over to its first love: the automobile race. In 1973, after a passage by the flying school of Jim Russell on the circuit of Mount-Trembling, it disputes and gains the championship of Quebec of Formule Ford with seven victories in ten races.

The following year, it reaches the Formule Atlantic. After a first season missed in 1974, its financial position becomes increasingly critical, but successes start to come in 1975, before it appears truly in 1976. Winner of nine races out of ten, it gains the American and Canadian championships of Atlantic Formula. But its more beautiful feat of arms takes place at the time of the test of Three-Rivers, where on the price of an attack of every moment, it is essential by beating several pilots of Formula 1 guests. Among them the British James Hunt is, about to take down the championship of the world of Formula 1. Impressed by the spectacular piloting of the young Inhabitant of Quebec, the leader of the stable McLaren hastens to recommend it to his employer as of his return in Europe.

1977: first steps Formulate 1 of them

In 1977, Villeneuve always controls Formulates Atlantic of it when McLaren offers opportunity to him of beginning in Formula 1 at the time of the GP from Great Britain, disputed in Silverstone, at the wheel of the third car of the stable. Delayed at the beginning of race by troubles engine, Villeneuve finishes with an anonymity 11th place, but its times with the turn and its direction of the attack do not escape Enzo Ferrari which, allured, proposes to him a test with Fiorano in September. The test proves sufficiently conclusive so that the Scuderia Ferrari engages it for the two last races of the season on the third car of the team. Following the abrupt departure of Niki Lauda, annoyed with the direction of Scuderia, it is actually in the capacity as second pilot that Villeneuve makes its beginnings at Ferrari. 12th of the GP of Canada, it is implied with GP of Japan in a tragedy accident since following a fixing with the Tyrrell 6 wheels of Ronnie Peterson, its car takes off and comes to be crushed beyond the safety fences, killing two people (a photographer and official).

1978: difficult training

The true beginnings Formulates 1 of Villeneuve of them take place in 1978. Initially, it tests all the sorrows of the world to confirm the hopes placed in him. Clearly dominated by its Argentinian fellow-member Carlos Reutemann, his competences are questioned by the very demanding Italian media, which claim its replacement. But Villeneuve finds little by little its marks and finishes its first complete season in F1 of most beautiful in the ways, since it gains in Montreal its national GP, at the same time raising all the doubts about its capacities to be controlled with the more high level.

1979: the missed occasion

In 1979, following the departure of Reutemann for Lotus, Villeneuve is joined at Ferrari by tested the South-African pilot Jody Scheckter. After a beginning of the season dominated by the Ligier, Ferrari are not long in being affirmed like the best cars of the plate. Winner back-to-back of GP of South Africa then GP of the Western United States to Length Beach, Villeneuve takes the head of the championship thus. But the continuation is more difficult for the Inhabitant of Quebec, which undergoes the law of Jody Scheckter, almost as powerful as while showing to him a greater science of the race. Unrelentingly outdistanced with the championship, Villeneuve definitively lets escape the title at the conclusion of the GP from Italy, antepenultimate sleeve of the season when, respectful of the instructions of team, he does not seek to dispute the victory with his fellow-member and friend and is satisfied to ensure doubled for Ferrari. By gaining at the end of the season the GP of the United States with Watkins Glen, Villeneuve takes down all the same the honorary title of vice-champion of the world.

But season 1979 of Villeneuve east far from summarizing itself with a duel lost for the title vis-a-vis Scheckter. This year, apart from its three successes, it carries out two services which will mark the spirits durably. First of all with the GP from France disputed in Dijon, where in the last turns of race, it delivers to the French Rene Arnoux a duel of an intensity ever equalized Formulates 1 of them. By doubling, while redoubling themselves, by approaching several turns of face and while touching themselves on several occasions, the two pilots make rise the public which will forget some almost that it is only one fight for the second place. With the GP of the Netherlands with Zandvoort then, where author of a thundering beginning of race (marked by a going beyond full with audacity on Alan Jones by the outside of the turn Tarzan ), Villeneuve is victim of a puncture. But far from lining up wisely on the edge of track, it continues to attack at the wheel of a car completely unbalanced, sometimes on three wheels, sometimes on two wheels, while its shredded tire tears off elements of body. For its return to the stands, one will need all the force of persuasion of its mechanics to convince it to give up.

1980: one catastrophic season

In 1980, Gilles Villeneuve is very awaited. Taking into account its its increasingly sharpened growing experiment and burst of speed, it seems able to take its revenge on Scheckter with the championship of the world. It is without counting on the catastrophic level of the Ferrari 312 T5. Evolution of the car which it previous year, in spite of its use partial of the ground effect (the use of the broad engine Flat 12 does not make it possible to conceive true a wing because ) managed to hold the high dragee with the wing bus , the 312 T5 proves completely exceeded. Often qualified in second half of the starting grid, Villeneuve manages to tear off only 6 thin points in spite of efforts never counted. It is always better than its Scheckter team-member who, démotivé, will announce his departure with the retirement quickly and will know even the dishonor of a not-qualification.

1981: to overcome the power

From 1981, Scuderia Ferrari starts its return to the foreground thanks to its adoption of the technology of the turbocompressé engine, already used by Renault since 1977. Of a frightening power, the engine of Ferrari 126C1 is however particularly difficult to exploit, because of its response time. To that a frame is added to the handling more than precarious. After a catastrophic beginning of the season, Villeneuve however will react on the circuit where it less is awaited and who seems the least to correspond to the characteristics of his car, in fact Monaco, where he carries out a true number of equilibrist between the rails to guide his machine towards the victory. He repeats at the time of the following GP disputed on the layout of Jarama in Spain, where a fulgurating departure combined with the early abandonment of the world champion in title Alan Jones enables him to take the head of the race at the beginning of test. During all the remainder of the GP, he manages to contain the pack of his prosecutors, faster than him, while bouchonnant astutely in the sinuous parts and by using all the power of his turbo engine in the straight lines. On the finishing line, Villeneuve saves its first place while four pilots are gathered in less than one second behind him. The Inhabitant of Quebec at the end of the year carries out another memorable service in Montreal, where under the rain, it is classified 3rd in spite of a front aileron with the vertical, consequence of a fixing at the beginning of race.

1982: the drama of Zolder

Regular progress of turbo Ferrari does of Villeneuve one of the favorites of the season 1982. Dominated by Alain Prost and its Renault at the time of the first sleeves of the season, he intends well to take his revenge in residence , at the time of GP of San Marino, boycotted by the teams FOCA. The early abandonment of Renault opens to him the way of an easy success, while just behind him, its team-member and friendly Didier Pironi seems to ensure doubled of Scuderia. Conscious of the importance of this overall performance after a missed beginning of the season, the Ferrari stand passes to its pilots the panel SLOW FOX TROT , which means that they must lower the rate/rhythm and who is thus an implicit order to solidify the positions. However, Pironi attacks Villeneuve and undertakes to double it. Initially thinking that its team-member exceeds it by play and seeks before very diverting a public which was private of a true race, Villeneuve however realizes quickly that Pironi really seeks to dispute the victory to him and has all the sorrows of the world to take again the command of the test. Is followed from there a fratricidal duel which Pironi leaves finally victorious. On the podium according to race, Villeneuve, the jaws tightened, openly refuses to greet Pironi and to open the traditional bottle of champagne. Estimating itself betrayed by that which apart from the circuits was also a close friend, he pronounces words of revenge against the French pilot.

The following GP is held in Zolder in Belgium. Always furious, Gilles Villeneuve more than is ever decided to take his revenge. The duel is launched as of the qualifications where the two men fight to tear off the pole-position. It is on this occasion that Villeneuve finds death. Launched at high-speed, it catches up with the March Jochen Mass which rolls to the idle. Noting the arrival of Ferrari in its rear view mirrors, Mass changes line to open the passage to him, at the moment when the Canadian undertook to uncouple it. Ferrari very violently runs up against March by the back, then takes off, before falling down heavily and leaving in a series barrels during which Gilles is ejected. Lying inanimate in a netting of protection, Gilles is transported urgently to the hospital nearest, where its death is pronounced in the evening. The investigation will show that Villeneuve was probably killed as of the initial shock with March, the broken cervical vertebrae.

The circumstances of the accident of Gilles Villeneuve are the subject still today of contradictory theses. For some, Villeneuve was launched in a turn of qualification at the time when it caught up with Mass, which would explain its will not to raise the foot. Others estimate on the contrary that Villeneuve already had just carried out a fast tower and that the accident took thus place in its turn of re-entry to the stands, carried out at an abnormally high speed, or then in a desperate attempt to carry out a fast second round with the same set of tires.

Victories in Championship of the world of Formula 1

Career

1967 : Beginning in regional race of Motoneige Skidoo
1973: Champion of Quebec of Formula Ford (9 victories in 10 races)
1974: World champion of motoneige and beginnings in Formula Atlantic
1976: Champion of Canada and the United States of Formula Atlantic (9 victories in 10 races). Victoire the Three-River proof in front of the pilots of Formula 1 guests.
1977: Champion of Canada de Formule Atlantic. Beginnings Formulates 1 with the GP of Great Britain of them on McLaren, then two races at Ferrari.
1978: Formula 1 at Ferrari (10th of the championship with 17 points and 1 victory)
1979: Formula 1 at Ferrari (2nd of the championship with 53 points and 3 victories, victory with the Race off Champions (Brands Hatch)
1980: Formula 1 at Ferrari (12th of the championship with 6 points)
1981: Formula 1 at Ferrari (7th of the championship with 25 points and 2 victories)
1982: Formula 1 at Ferrari (15th of the championship with 6 points). Fatal accident with the qualifications of the GP of Belgium on May 8th.

Homages

the circuit of Montreal, over which Gilles Villeneuve gained its first success Formulates 1 in 1978 of them, was renamed Circuit Gilles-Villeneuve a few weeks after its death. The inscription Gilles Hello! is painted on the starting grid.
In 1991, it was introduced with the the Pantheon of the sports of Quebec.

Family life

Gilles Villeneuve married Joann Barthe in 1970. The couple had two children, Jacques (born in 1971, victorious of Indy 500 in 1995 and world champion of Formula 1 in 1997) and Melanie Villeneuve (born in 1973, and today a famous concert performer).
To note that the younger brother of Gilles, fore-mentioned Jacques also carried out a honourable career in automobile sport.

See too

Pilot of Formula 1: classification by Pilot victories
of Formula 1: classification by better Pilot turns
of Formula 1: classification by Pilot podiums
of Formula 1: classification by Pilot poles position
of Formula 1: classification by hat tricks

External bonds

Tribute To Gilles
Gilles Villeneuve, the tragic destiny of a champion - Files of Radio-Canada
of the Grand Prix of France 1979

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