Cult Heroes: Gilles Villeneueve

Think of Formula One in the late 1970s and early 1980s and one image immediately springs to mind – a big, lumbering red Ferrari, completely sideways, with a black and orange helmet poking out of the middle.

That would be Gilles Villeneuve, one of motor racing’s great artists, whose bravery and car control continue to inspire generations of F1 fans to this day.

Born in 1950 in the Quebec town of St-Jean-sur-Richelieu, Villeneuve made a name for himself by dominating the North America’s Formula Atlantic in the 1970s.

The F1 paddock was soon aware of his feats, with McLaren being the first to hand him a break at the 1977 British Grand Prix at Silverstone. He qualified 9th, less than a second off pole man, reigning world champion and team mate James Hunt. Ferrari in particular were impressed and handed him a berth for the last two races of the season and the full 1978 season in place of Niki Lauda.

Over the next five years, he would become synonymous with the legendary Italian team, and his daredevil feats would become the stuff of Formula One folklore.

Towards the end of his first full season, he took his first F1 win – only this was the Canadian Grand Prix, at the then-new circuit in Montreal, just down the road from his home town. The crowd went wild. Gilles had arrived on the world stage and what better place to do it. He is still the only Canadian to win his home race.

The following season is the one with which he is most closely associated. In particular, there were three races that defined his career.

In the French Grand Prix at Dijon, he was involved in perhaps the greatest battle in F1 history – in the closing laps, he exchanged positions several times with Rene Arnoux in his quicker Renault, lunging up the inside, smoking his tyres, banging wheels, and eventually just about coming out on top – and it was only for second place.

Then, at the Dutch Grand Prix at Zandvoort, he suffered a puncture while battling for the lead and spun off. He tried to recover to the pits, with his tyre and wheel falling apart.

By the time he got back, the rear suspension had been ripped off and he was effectively driving on three wheels. His engineers were furious.

One final example of absurd bravery came at the season finale, the US Grand Prix at Watkins Glen. Friday qualifying saw torrential rain but this did not stop the Canadian. He ended the session fastest of all – by 9 seconds.

Despite the odd moment of madness, 1979 would be Villeneuve’s most successful season. He won three races: in South Africa; at Long Beach in California; and, unsurprisingly, at Watkins Glen. However, the championship would elude him.

He went into the Italian Grand Prix at Monza behind his more consistent team mate and friend Jody Scheckter in the standings and, in the race, he decided to remain in second behind his team mate for the duration, allowing Scheckter to be crowned champion. But he would still end up 2nd overall at the end of the year.

1980 and 1981 were very difficult seasons, with Ferrari producing some of their worst ever cars, but that didn’t slow him down. In 1981, he won the greatest race of them all, the Monaco Grand Prix, winning by some 40 seconds from Alan Jones in the dominant Williams in what has been described as a ‘tank’.

At the next race at Jarama in Spain, he quickly found himself leading the race, heading a long queue of faster cars. The circuit was twisty, with little opportunity for overtaking. Villeneuve found that his car had superior straight line speed, but it still required intense concentration to win. By the end, the top five cars were less than 1.5 seconds apart, but Gilles held on for what would be his final F1 win.

Though 1982 saw the team develop a much faster car, and Villeneuve was at his peak, the early races weren’t kind to them. But at the San Marino Grand Prix at Imola, round four of the championship, they had their opportunity to regain ground lost in the opening races, due to a boycott by many of the teams competing.

In the late stages of the race, the two Ferraris were running line first and second, with Villeneuve leading team mate Didier Pironi. But on the last lap, against team orders, Pironi dived up the inside and snatched the lead. There was no time for Gilles to respond, and Pironi took the race win. He was absolutely livid at this betrayal – while he was a risk-taker, he always played fair. After the race, he vowed never to speak to Pironi again.

During qualifying for the next round, at Zolder in Belgium, he decided to go out on a late run – some say he was doing it to prove a point, for the sole reason of beating Pironi. As he rounded one of the fastest corners on the circuit, he came across a slow car, and the nose of the Ferrari clipped the back of it. In the ensuing crash, the car was torn apart – he didn’t stand a chance.

Fate had decided that Villeneuve would never win the world championship, but he remains a revered figure, with a devoted fan-base. The circuit in Montreal where he first emerged as an F1 star was quickly named after him, and his name remains painted on the pole position. 15 years on, his death was avenged by his son Jacques, who would win the world championship for Williams.

But to this day, the vast majority of F1 fans will continue to insist that the most talented and greatest Villeneuve is Gilles.