Gilles Villeneuve

Interesting facts

When Enzo Ferrari first met him in 1977 he likened the tiny Canadian to pre-war legend Tazio Nuvolari and signed him on the spot. His wheel-banging, last-lap duel with René Arnoux at the 1979 French GP remains one of the sport's most replayed moments. At the 1981 Spanish GP he nursed an ill-handling turbo Ferrari to victory on straight-line speed alone, crossing the line barely two-tenths ahead of five faster cars. At Imola 1982, teammate Didier Pironi ignored a hold-station order and passed him on the final lap; Villeneuve vowed never to speak to him again. In Zolder qualifying on 8 May 1982 his Ferrari launched off Jochen Mass's car, disintegrated in mid-air, and threw Villeneuve, still strapped to his seat, into the catch fencing. Montreal's Île Notre-Dame circuit, site of his lone home win in 1978, was renamed in his honour after his death. His background in snowmobile racing sharpened the car control that made him so fast in rain and snow. His son Jacques won the 1995 Indianapolis 500 driving Gilles's old number 27. Gilles Villeneuve raced in Formula 1 from 1977 to 1982, across 6 seasons as a Canadian driver. He scored a total of 101 championship points over his career.