Gilles Villeneuve facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Gilles Villeneuve
Villeneuve at Imola, 1979
Born	Joseph Gilles Henri Villeneuve (1950-01-18)January 18, 1950 Saint-Jean-sur-Richelieu, Quebec, Canada
Died	May 8, 1982(1982-05-08) (aged 32) Leuven, Belgium
Nationality	Canadian
Children	2, including Jacques
Relatives	Jacques Villeneuve, Sr. (brother)
Formula One World Championship career
Active years	1977–1982
Teams	McLaren, Ferrari
Entries	68 (67 starts)
Championships	0 (2nd in 1979)
Wins	6
Podiums	13
Career points	101 (107)
Pole positions	2
Fastest laps	8
First entry	1977 British Grand Prix
First win	1978 Canadian Grand Prix
Last win	1981 Spanish Grand Prix
Last entry	1982 Belgian Grand Prix
Signature

Joseph Gilles Henri Villeneuve (born January 18, 1950 – died May 8, 1982) was a famous Canadian racing driver. He spent six years racing in Formula One with the Ferrari team. During his career, he won six races and was admired for his exciting driving style.

Gilles loved cars and driving fast from a young age. He began his professional racing career in snowmobile races in his home province of Quebec, Canada. Later, he switched to single-seater race cars. He won the US and Canadian Formula Atlantic championships in 1976. This success led to him joining the McLaren Formula One team for a race in 1977. Soon after, he joined the famous Ferrari team. He raced for Ferrari from 1978 until his death in 1982. In 1979, he finished second in the championship, just behind his teammate Jody Scheckter.

Villeneuve sadly died in a crash during qualifying for the 1982 Belgian Grand Prix at Zolder. This accident happened less than two weeks after a big disagreement with his teammate, Didier Pironi. At the time of his death, Gilles was very popular with fans. He is still seen as a legend in motorsport history. His son, Jacques Villeneuve, later became a Formula One World Champion in 1997. He is the only Canadian to win this title.

Gilles' Early Life and Family

Gilles Villeneuve was born on January 18, 1950, in Quebec, Canada. He grew up in Berthierville. In 1970, he married Joann Barthe. They had two children, a son named Jacques and a daughter named Mélanie. When Gilles was starting his racing career, he often took his family with him in a motorhome. He continued this during his Formula One years.

Gilles sometimes said he was born in 1952. When he got his chance in Formula One, he was already 27. He made himself seem two years younger. This was so he wouldn't be thought of as too old to start at the top level of racing.

His younger brother, Jacques Sr., also had a successful racing career. Gilles' son, Jacques Jr., won the Indianapolis 500 and CART championships in 1995. He then became a Formula One World Champion in 1997.

Starting His Racing Journey

Villeneuve's 1973 Magnum MkIII Formula Ford car. He won the Quebec Formula Ford championship with it.

Villeneuve began racing by entering local drag-racing events. He used his own modified 1967 Ford Mustang. He soon found this boring. So, he went to the Jim Russell Racing School to get a racing license. After that, he had a very successful season in Quebec's regional Formula Ford series. He raced his own two-year-old car and won seven out of ten races.

The next year, he moved up to Formula Atlantic. He raced there for four years, even running his own car for one season. He won his first Atlantic race in 1975 in heavy rain. In 1976, he was part of Chris Harrison's Ecurie Canada team. He dominated the season, winning almost every race. He took both the US and Canadian titles. He won the Canadian championship again in 1977.

Money was tight for Gilles in his early career. He was a professional racer from his late teens. For the first few years, most of his money came from snowmobile racing. He was very good at it. He could even earn money just for showing up to races, especially after winning the 1974 World Championship Snowmobile Derby. His second season in Formula Atlantic was partly sponsored by his snowmobile maker, Skiroule.

Formula One Adventures

After Gilles impressed James Hunt in a Formula Atlantic race in 1976, Hunt's McLaren team offered Gilles a chance. He could race in up to five Formula One races in 1977. Gilles made his debut at the 1977 British Grand Prix. He qualified 9th in an older McLaren car. He even set the fifth fastest lap in the race.

However, McLaren decided not to keep Gilles for the next year. Their team manager thought Gilles might be too expensive. But then, rumors spread that Enzo Ferrari, the head of Ferrari, was interested. In August 1977, Gilles flew to Italy to meet Enzo Ferrari. Ferrari was reminded of a famous pre-war champion when he met the "little Canadian." Ferrari was happy with Gilles after a test drive. Gilles signed to race for Ferrari in the last two races of 1977 and for the full 1978 season. Gilles later said that driving for Ferrari was one of his biggest wishes.

Gilles joined Ferrari because their driver, Niki Lauda, left the team early. Gilles raced in his home country at the 1977 Canadian Grand Prix. He retired after sliding off the track. He also raced in the last race of 1977 in Japan. There, his car became airborne after touching another car. It landed on spectators, sadly killing two people and injuring others. After an investigation, no one was blamed. Gilles was very sad about the deaths but didn't feel responsible.

Villeneuve sitting on his car at Imola in 1979.

The 1978 season was tough for Gilles. He often had to retire from races. Despite some calls from the Italian press to replace him, Ferrari stuck with him. Towards the end of the season, his results got better. He finished second in Italy, though he got a penalty. Finally, at the last race of the season in Canada, Gilles scored his first Grand Prix win. This race was at the Circuit Notre Dame Island in Montreal, which was later named after him. He is still the only Canadian to win the Canadian Grand Prix.

Gilles Villeneuve and René Arnoux had a famous battle for second place at the 1979 French Grand Prix.

In 1979, Jody Scheckter joined Ferrari as Gilles' teammate. Gilles won three races that year. He even briefly led the championship. But the season is most remembered for his amazing wheel-to-wheel battle with René Arnoux at the 1979 French Grand Prix. They fought for second place in the final laps, touching cars several times. Gilles managed to take second place in the end. He later said, "I tell you, that was really fun!"

At the 1979 Dutch Grand Prix, Gilles had a slow puncture. His tire collapsed and sent him off the track. He drove back to the pit lane on three wheels, losing the damaged wheel on the way. Gilles wanted the team to replace the missing wheel. But they had to convince him the car was too damaged to continue. Gilles finished second in the championship that year, just four points behind Scheckter.

The 1980 season was not good for Ferrari. Gilles only scored six points. His teammate Scheckter scored only two points and retired from racing after the season.

For the 1981 season, Ferrari introduced their first turbocharged F1 car. It had huge power but was difficult to handle. Gilles' new teammate was Didier Pironi. Pironi said Gilles made him feel welcome and treated him as an equal. Gilles won two races that season. At the 1981 Spanish Grand Prix, Gilles kept five faster cars behind him for most of the race. He used his car's speed on the straight parts of the track. He won by only 0.22 seconds!

At the 1981 Canadian Grand Prix, Gilles damaged his front wing in heavy rain. He drove most of the race with the wing blocking his view. It was risky, but the wing eventually fell off. Gilles kept driving and finished third, even with the front of his car missing.

Gilles was offered a deal to rejoin McLaren in 1982. But he stayed with Ferrari, hoping they would be competitive. The first few races of 1982 were difficult. At the 1982 San Marino Grand Prix, many teams boycotted the race. This left Ferrari and Renault as the main competitors. Ferrari told both drivers to slow down to save fuel. Gilles thought this meant they should hold their positions. But Pironi passed Gilles. Gilles passed him back and slowed down again, thinking Pironi was just trying to entertain the crowd. On the last lap, Pironi passed Gilles again and took the win. Gilles was furious. He felt Pironi had betrayed him and vowed never to speak to him again. Pironi said he did nothing wrong, as the team only said to slow down, not hold position.

Gilles' Tragic Death

On May 8, 1982, Gilles Villeneuve died after a crash during the final qualifying session for the 1982 Belgian Grand Prix at Zolder. His teammate Pironi had just set a faster time. Some people believe Gilles was trying to beat Pironi's time. However, Gilles' engineer said Gilles was returning to the pit lane when the accident happened.

Gilles Villeneuve helmet (Museo Ferrari).

With eight minutes left in the session, Gilles came over a rise and saw Jochen Mass driving much slower. Mass moved to the right to let Gilles pass. At the same moment, Gilles also moved right to pass. The Ferrari hit the back of Mass' car. Gilles' car was launched into the air at a very high speed. It flew for over 100 meters before crashing into the ground. The car broke apart as it flipped along the track. Gilles, still strapped to his seat but without his helmet, was thrown about 50 meters into the safety fence.

Other drivers stopped and rushed to help. John Watson and Derek Warwick pulled Gilles from the fence. Doctors arrived quickly. They found Gilles was not breathing, but he still had a pulse. He was taken to the hospital by helicopter. Doctors found a fatal neck injury. Gilles was kept on life support until his wife arrived. He died at 9:12 PM. An investigation found that Gilles made an error, causing him to hit Mass' car. Mass was not blamed for the accident.

Gilles' Lasting Impact

Gilles Villeneuve raced in 67 Grand Prix races. He won 6 of them and finished on the podium 13 times. At his funeral, his former teammate Jody Scheckter gave a speech. He said Gilles was "the most genuine man I have ever known" and "the fastest driver in the history of motor racing." People still remember Gilles for his amazing driving and his kind personality.

Gilles is still honored at Grand Prix races, especially in Italy. At the Autodromo Enzo e Dino Ferrari, a corner is named after him. A Canadian flag is painted on the starting grid where he began his last race. There is also a statue of him at the entrance to Ferrari's test track. At Zolder, the corner where Gilles died is now a special turn named after him.

"Salut Gilles" sign at the Circuit Gilles Villeneuve start-finish line.

The racetrack in Montreal, Canada, where the Formula One Canadian Grand Prix is held, was named Circuit Gilles Villeneuve in his honor in 1982. A sign saying "Salut Gilles" (Hello Gilles) is at the start/finish line. His home country continues to honor him. A museum was opened in Berthierville in 1992. A statue of him stands in a nearby park, also named after him. Gilles was inducted into the Canadian Motorsport Hall of Fame in 1993 and Canada's Sports Hall of Fame in 1983. In 1997, Canada even issued a postage stamp in his honor.

Fans still love collecting things related to Gilles Villeneuve. The number 27, which was on his Ferrari car in 1981 and 1982, is still strongly linked to him by fans. His son, Jacques, used the number 27 when he won the IndyCar and Indianapolis 500 races in 1995. Other Canadian drivers have also used the number 27 to honor Gilles.

Gilles' Helmet Design

Gilles Villeneuve's helmet had a special red 'V' shape on each side. He designed this look with his wife, Joann. The rest of the helmet was black. His son, Jacques, used the same basic design but changed the colors.

Racing Highlights

Images for kids

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  Villeneuve at Imola, 1979

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  Gilles Villeneuve signature

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  Villeneuve's 1973 Magnum MkIII Formula Ford car, with which he won the Quebec Formula Ford championship

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  Villeneuve sitting on his car at Imola in 1979

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  In the 1979 French Grand Prix Villeneuve and René Arnoux had a memorable duel for second place.

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  Gilles Villeneuve helmet (Museo Ferrari)

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  "Salut Gilles" sign at the Circuit Gilles Villeneuve start-finish line

See also

In Spanish: Gilles Villeneuve para niños