Gilles Villeneuve, 40 years since his death

Forget karting. One of the greatest legends in F1 history learned his skills on a snowmobile.

So did Gilles Villeneuve. The Canadian savage, who died 40 years ago, is still one of the most beloved drivers of Ferrari and the entire sport.

Villeneuve, who always did his best on the track, left an indelible impression on his contemporaries. Poetically speaking, his life ended the way he lived.

Gas at the bottom until the last.

Master’s attention

It was little that Villeneuve remained a local greatness.

The honor of “finding” a man is given James Hunt.

The Formula One failure playboy garnered extra party money by racing outside the F1 series even during his World Championship season.

Usually, only women could fit in Hunt’s mind after the race, but after this Canadian Formula Atlantic race, the situation was different.

After Hunt traveled back to England, he immediately rushed to his McLaren team manager.

– You have to hire this guy named Villeneuve, the rapt Hunt reports his race trip.

How had Villeneuve made such an impact on the F1 residue? Driving with his formula as if it were a snowmobile!

In fact, Villeneuve, who won the World Snowmobile Championship, later revealed that he had deliberately driven very spectacularly in a race starring Hunt.

“It was very easy to slide those cars, just like driving a snowmobile,” Villeneuve said.

The spectacular side skates and driving style that defied the laws of physics also became Villeneuve’s trademark in the F1 races.

Enzo’s favorite

Hunt and McLaren are honored to introduce Villeneuve to Formula One, but Ferrari made him a legend.

After just one race at McLaren, the Italian stable captured the Canadian in his ranks. Towards the end of the season, he made his debut as a Ferrari driver after winning the World Championship Niki Lauda abandoned the stable.

The season ended in a big bang in Japan. Villeneuve flew off the track with his Ferraris, and two spectators who watched the race at the forbidden spot were killed.

– Enzo Ferrarin one cannot help but wonder what really happened to him. Until a couple of races ago, his driver was Lauda, ​​now torn by some wild, Italian media.

Memorable moments

But if Enzo Ferrari loved something in his drivers, it was wild rage.

Villeneuve was a worshiped and charismatic leader of the Italian brand.

Villeneuve responded to the call by driving Ferrari with numerous accomplishments written in F1 history books in laudatory phrases.

In Zandvoort in 1979, he showed what will to fight means raging the track forward even though the other rear tire was torn off.

In Jarama in 1981, he wonderfully made up for the shortcomings of his miserable Ferrari by gassing victory, though the next four cars followed right into the trunk of his car.

And then, of course, that battle in Dijon. Villeneuven and Renault Rene Arnoux’n the torsion of the 1979 French GP is always dug up to show what racing is all about.

A pure and unyielding, but fair and respectful battle against the ring.

A distant father figure

Gilles Villeneuve was worshiped and loved by the world of formula, but he could not give this warmth to his own son.

Jacques Villeneuve did in 1997 what his father could never do: won the Formula One World Championship.

However, he did not own his championship for his father.

The reason was the very distant, even cold, father-son relationship.

– During a time when fathers loved their daughters but were only proud of their sons. It was rough. I wanted love, but it doesn’t favor me, Villeneuve, who was sent to boarding school away from his family at a young age, told Autosport recently.

Gilles loved danger. Jacques’ son shared Autosport’s wild memory of his father.

– He put me in a helicopter when I was only ten years old. He suddenly let go of the joystick and stated that now it was my turn to fly. For about a small child, it was a very traumatic experience. Such memories I have of my father.

Died as if

– I’m not afraid of dying out. Of course I don’t want to crash, I’m nothing crazy. But fear does not limit me.

This is how Gilles Villeneuve commented when asked about the secret to his bold and always wild-looking driving style.

However, Villeneuve ended up in an accident.

In the time of the 1982 Belgian GP, ​​Villeneuve tried to overtake a slower car, however Jochen Massin dodging in the same direction was followed by an accident that deprived us of one of the greatest legends in the world of formula.

The Canadian Air Force flew Villeneuve’s body back home. The F1 star was buried with state honors throughout Canada in mourning his great hero.

The 1982 season has plunged into one of the darkest in the history of the formula. Villeneuve’s death particularly shocked other drivers.

– Gilles was really popular, and we mourned his fate. Figuratively, all of us drivers wore black mourning ribbons in our arms, the future world champion Keke Rosberg described his mood after Zolder’s gloomy weekend.

Great artist

Villeneuve is considered to be the last Mohican of its era.

He was considered to have finally been the savage of the old covenant, giving the emotion to take the win at the wheel of the formula car.

That style only produced six wins, two pole positions and one second place finish in the World Series.

However, Villeneuve’s position as an F1 legend is not based on statistics. But after what he left in the formulas.

It’s impossible for today’s formula fans to realize how important Villeneuve’s spectacular driving style was to his popularity. He was like an artist who made viewers gasp every time he plunged into a bend. Sometimes it slipped, often not. And always the people liked it.

Even today, fans love drivers who give their all on the track. And at least it doesn’t hurt if there’s a Ferrari below.

Niki Lauda is one of the best drivers in the history of the sport in many books. Whatever he said was bad for anyone to say.

– Gilles was the perfect race driver. He was the fastest of us all, Lauda, ​​who moved to the heavenly racetracks in 2019 with Villeneuve, described his racing partner.

Perhaps Villeneuve’s specialty is best described by a colleague who raced 176 F1 starts and won six races Jacques Laffite.

– I know no one can do miracles. But Gilles, he made us all amaze time and time again.

Sources: F1.com, F1 Racing, Autosport