Most people believe my father was crazy and I am very happy about it.” Jacques Villeneuve, 1997

Gilles Villeneuve ready to do battle s

One of the most respected drivers of his era who unfortunately lost his life during the Belgian Grand Prix qualifying in 1982.

He was born in Richelieu, a small town in the largely French-speaking province of Quebec in Canada and grew up in Berthierville. In 1970, he married Joann Barthe, with whom he had two children, Jacques and Mélanie. Racing was his life and both he and his brother were involved in various racing activities most weekends. 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.

Niki Lauda commented, “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”.

Villeneuve started competitive driving in his own 1967 modified Mustang by entering it for drag racing. He was soon bored by this and entered the Jim Russell Racing School at Le Circuit Mont Tremblant to gain a racing licence. 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. The next year he progressed to Formula Atlantic, competing there for four years, running his own car again for one of those seasons. He was crowned the US Canadian Champion for 1976 and 1977 as he dominated the series both years.

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. He could demand appearance money as well as race money, especially after winning the 1974 World Championship Snowmobile Derby. He credited some of his success in driving cars to his snowmobiling days as he quoted; “Every winter, you would reckon on three or four big spills — and I’m talking about being thrown on to the ice at 100 miles per hour. 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.”

James Hunt was impressed by his performance after Villeneuve beat him and several other Grand Prix stars in a non-championship Formula Atlantic race at Trois-Rivières in 1976, Hunt’s McLaren team offered Villeneuve a Formula One deal for up to five races in a third car during the 1977 season. By this time 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.

He made his debut at the 1977 British Grand Prix. There were teething issues and he was keen to impress and move up and he was noticed. This article in the Times said it all; “Anyone seeking a future World Champion need look no further than this quietly assured young man.” He lost his seat with McLaren soon after his debut and although he had no solid option for the year he was recommended by Walter Wolf to Ferrari. The deal was done in August 1977 and there was no going back. He remained with Ferrari for the rest of his life.

He once had said; “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…”

Villeneuve’s arrival was prompted by Ferrari driver Niki Lauda quitting the team at the 1977 Canadian Grand Prix at Mosport having already clinched his second championship with the Italian team.

There were more difficulties ahead, his non finished as well as accidents and the horrific crash where he became airborne and landed into the spectators. One spectator and one race marshal were killed. Problems continued in 1978 as he had many retirements from him and although the Italian press were asking for him to be replaced, Ferrari persevered. Things did improve towards the end of the season and things did improved in 1979 when he was teamed with Jody Scheckter. This was probably one that everyone remembers as they watched his wheel banging duel with René Arnoux where he won his second place (See video below) What did he think of it? “”I tell you, that was really fun! I thought for sure we were going to get on our heads, you know, because when you start interlocking wheels it’s very easy for one car to climb over another.” he commented after the race.

Many may think he did not get the shot at the title. Well, he did. He could have won the World Championship in 1979 by beating Scheckter at the Italian Grand Prix, but chose to finish behind him, ending his own championship challenge. The pair finished first and second in the championship, with Scheckter beating Villeneuve by just four points. I think to prove a point in the following race which was a very wet US Grand Prix Gilles was the fastest man on the track by 11 seconds!!! His team mate, Jody Scheckter recalls that day; “I scared myself rigid that day. I thought I had to be quickest. Then I saw Gilles’s time and — I still don’t really understand how it was possible. Eleven seconds!”

The following years were not so good for Villeneuve or Ferrari as the car (126C) was not up to the challenge. This comment by Harvey Postlethwaite just about sums it up; “That car…had literally one quarter of the downforce that, say Williams or Brabham had. It had a power advantage over the Cosworths for sure, but it also had massive throttle lag at that time. In terms of sheer ability I think Gilles was on a different plane to the other drivers. To win those races, the 1981 GPs at Monaco and Jarama — on tight circuits — was quite out of this world. I know how bad that car was.”

The first few races of the 1982 season were promising. Ferrari was wining races again with Villeneuve and his new team mate Didier Pironi, but it wasn’t Gilles’s year.

On May 8, 1982, Villeneuve died after an accident during the final qualifying session for the Belgian Grand Prix at Zolder. The accident shocked the racing world and left us without Gilles Villeneuve.

Despite a fall out with Pironi, when Catherine Goux, Pironi’s girl friend gave birth to twins in 1987. She named them Didier and Gilles.

At the funeral in Berthierville former teammate 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.”

Villeneuve is still remembered at Grand Prix races, especially those in Italy. At the Autodromo Enzo e Dino Ferrari, the venue of the San Marino Grand Prix, a corner was named after him and a Canadian flag is painted on the third slot on the starting grid, from which he started his last race. There is also a bronze bust of him at the entrance to the Ferrari test track at Fiorano. At Zolder the corner where Villeneuve died has been turned into a chicane and named after him.

The racetrack on Île Notre-Dame, Montreal, host to the Formula One Canadian Grand Prix and NASCAR Nationwide Series, was named Circuit Gilles Villeneuve in his honour at the Canadian Grand Prix of 1982. His homeland has continued to honour him: In Berthierville a museum was opened in 1992 and a lifelike statue stands in a nearby park which was also named in his honour. Villeneuve was inducted into the Canadian Motorsport Hall of Fame at their inaugural induction ceremony at the Four Seasons Hotel, Toronto, Ontario on August 19, 1993. In June 1997 Canada also issued a postage stamp in his honour.

Gilles’ son, Jacques, won the Indianapolis 500 and CART championships in 1995 and became Formula One World Champion in 1997.

As Alain Prost puts it;

“Gilles was the last great driver. The rest of us are just a bunch of good professionals.”

A selection of books on Gilles can be found here.

Gilles Villeneuve memorial by Sky Sport here.

Tribute to Gilles here.

Battle of Villeneuve and Pironi here.

Click images to enlarge,