Let’s take a look at the key moments which Gilles Villeneuve made on track that made him the ideal entertainer of Formula 1.
Gilles Villeneuve was many things during his time in Formula 1, from daredevil, to winner, to an entertainer. Some would add mad-man into that list as well.
But on the 38th anniversary of his passing, instead of focusing on the parts of Villeneuve’s career that have already been well publicized, let’s take a look on the things he pulled off which provided the fans with the entertainment they wanted.
I’m sure you can guess the first one…
The tricycle Ferrari 312T4 at Zandvoort
I mean, did you really think anything else was going to start this off? The clip of this is so good. In fact, it’s so good that there is not a single word to describe how good it really is.
There are many things about this incident that make it so entertaining. We will start at the beginning. So, the camera has panned to Gilles Villeneuve in the dirt at Tarzan. His left rear wheel is in pieces as the people watching begin to wonder if he will stop the car then and there.
But then greatness happens. I am sure the other drivers thanked him for all the mud he launched onto the track as he reversed his way back, but that was not on the French Canadian’s mind in the moment, as he needed to get his car back to the pits.
A normal driver in this position would proceed slowly to make sure that no further damage occurred to the rear of the car, but we are not talking about a normal driver. Villeneuve approached turn two at a higher speed then you would expect, considering his position. He drifted around the corner and nailed the exit. This supreme car control continued throughout the rest of the lap.
Fast forward a few corners and he is now at the top of the circuit with the rear left wheel of his Ferrari hanging on in his mirrors, literally. Everyone can see the damage, but what does Villeneuve do? He guns it; of course he does.
The Ferrari travels at a rate of knots on three wheels, with the front right tire bouncing on and off the ground — a Ferrari wheelie, if you will. While gunning it down the straight, Villeneuve had his arm in the air alerting the people that he has a problem — like they couldn’t see it — while controlling an out of control beast. It is honestly the greatest bit of footage in Formula 1 history.
That overtake on Alan Jones at Tarzan
Before the events of the previous point occurred, Gilles Villeneuve was actually having a good race, battling with Alan Jones of Williams. Turn one at Zandvoort is known as Tarzan, a very famous corner in the Formula 1 world — a very tough one at that, especially for the Formula 1 cars of 1979.
It took some serious skill to pull off a move around the outside of anyone at this corner, let alone a Williams of this time, but Villeneuve showed everyone how to do it.
So, Jones and Villeneuve crossed the line to start their 11th lap with Jones ahead and Villeneuve a couple of car lengths behind as they battled for the lead. Jones went on the defensive into turn one, leaving space on the outside, never expecting someone to try a move there.
The next thing he knows, the #12 Ferrari is storming around him on his left, with a kick of oversteer in the process, and away he goes. Nobody expected this kind of move to be pulled off at that type of corner in these cars. But we should have known that with Villeneuve, you should expect the unexpected.
Of course, he relinquished the lead to Jones later in the race with a fabulous, high-speed spin, which caused his tire failure and led to the events of the “Ferrari tricycle”. But it just goes to show that Villeneuve could provide entertainment on all fronts.
Around he goes at Silverstone
Round nine of the 1981 season took place at Silverstone. By this point in the season, Gilles Villeneuve had notched up two famous wins at Monaco and Jarama, but he still found himself dragging the dogged yet beautiful Ferrari 126C into positions it did not belong.
Villeneuve had made another strong start from eighth place on the grid but found himself struggling to keep up with the lead cars in the first few laps. Then at Woodcote corner at the end of the third lap, he clouted the kerb harder than he wanted to, sending his lethargic Ferrari bouncing and into a spin — while creating a cloud of tire smoke in the process, obviously.
Alright, so he did cause an incident which ended the races of Alan Jones and Andrea de Cesaris — get over it.
What followed is the great part. Yet again, Villeneuve’s unwillingness to give up kicked on. The camera panned further down the start/finish straight to see the #27 Ferrari, already in pieces with parts flying off, mowing along the grass before entering the track once again.
The car looked almost uncontrollable with the damage it had sustained, and ultimately Villeneuve had to stop the car. A hasty exit yet nonchalant in its own way showed his feelings with a quick glance back at the car to see the damage he had caused. Could it be fixed and could he get back out there? No, another day’s work was done.
A blind masterclass at Canada
We stay in the 1981 season, this time at Gilles Villeneuve’s home around at a wet and soggy Canada circuit. The Ferrari 126C still was a dog which had to be dragged around, but Villeneuve was still giving the fans what they wanted: entertainment.
Villeneuve had a minor incident — I, too, am shocked to read that — early in the race, causing slight damage to his basic front wing. Since the damage did not seem to be too bad, he decided not to get it repaired, instead opting to stay out and risk it.
The wing eventually flew up by the air into Villeneuve’s sight, blocking his vision for the most part. Somehow, he was able to direct his vision to his sides, while keeping control of the car and maneuvering his Ferrari around the track for a number of laps, losing only a handful of positions.
The vibrations caused the wing to depart from his line of sight eventually, just before the final hairpin. A snap of oversteer led to another snap of oversteer, but Villeneuve somehow kept control of his vehicle with sublime skill and awareness.
He showed his skill throughout the race with overtakes on eventual world champions Nelson Piquet and Alain Prost. By the way, he managed to secure third place on the rostrum as well through all of this.
Marking his appearance at Brands Hatch
It was July of 1978 at Brands Hatch. Free practice began and most cars made their way out of the pits in a tentative manner, as usual for a first run out. But one, a certain #12, white and red Ferrari, left the pits and started pushing through Paddock Hill Bend (turn one), down and up the hill, and approached Druids (turn two) at a higher speed than the cars around him.
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In typical Gilles Villeneuve manner, he locked up all four tires under braking, because it is him.
This sent him backwards into the catch fencing, producing his first car out of the session already.
But we all know Gilles Villeneuve by now. He wasted no time in getting back onto the track. But this time, he abandoned his car, instead opting for the running option. A quick sprint down and up the hill from which he had just arrived led him to his pit box, and back out he went. Would he take a different approach this time around?
Obviously not. This time around, he approached Druids bend at possibly an even greater speed, and once again locked up all four of his tires, sending tire smoke into the air. But what he had learned during his spin about two minutes ago was how he could control his oversteer. This time, a magnificently held drift saw him able to get around turn two and be on his way, providing a great thrill for those watching up at that corner.