“In a situation like that I know I would have been scared stiff. But I am sure that when Gilles felt his Ferrari take off, his last thought was anger, plain and simple, because he knew that he had spoiled that one perfect lap.”
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Gilles Villeneuve
Joseph Gilles Henri Villeneuve was a Canadian racing driver, who competed in Formula One from 1977 to 1982. Villeneuve was runner-up in the Formula One World Drivers' Championship in 1979 with Ferrari, and won six Grands Prix across six seasons.
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sports · Canadian racing driver (1950–1982) · Formula One driver · motorcycle racer · also Gilles Villeneuve, Joseph Gilles Henri Villeneuve, Villeneuve
Born 18 January 1950 · Died 8 May 1982 · Q172845
50 published statements · 0 followers
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2026· 23 entries
“Quite seriously, I've never felt anything like the same about racing ever since. I nearly packed it up.”
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“I think Gilles was the perfect racing driver … He had the best talent of all of us.”
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“His car control was extraordinary, even compared with the many talented drivers I have had the opportunity to drive against over the years. … [He drove a] Grand Prix car to the absolute limit of its ability.”
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“His death signified the passing of a certain approach. He was the last person who had the totally un-inhibited joy of driving a racing car.”
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“His death has deprived us of a great champion - one that I loved very much. My past is scarred with grief; parents, brother, son. My life is full of sad memories. I look back and see the faces of my loved ones, and among them I see him.”
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“[Gilles] was the fastest driver in the history of motor racing. .. But more important for me is that he was the most genuine person I have ever known.”
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“The kids were just 8 and 10 years old and seemed to be doing much better than I expected. That first night they both went upstairs to bed, and later I went up to check on them. They were asleep. When I saw Melanie I started crying. She had a picture of her dad with her. She was holding it in her arms.”
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“I think it is well known that if I want someone to stay behind me and I am faster, then he stays behind me.”
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“Neither of them would ever have agreed to what effectively was throwing a race. I think Gilles was stunned somebody had out-driven him and that it just caught him so much by surprise.”
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Mshale: #Zinnowitz Zinnowitz | Mecklenburg-Vorpommern | Germany Gilles Villeneuve (nipwrUkwvp)
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Mshale: Anthony Rizzo With The LONGEST AT BAT EVER (16 Pitches) Gilles Villeneuve (m4svBZgKy0)
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TVGuide.co.uk: Villeneuve Pironi: Racing's Untold Tragedy on Sky Documentaries HD: full details and when it's on
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Mshale: Justin Verlander Mets Highlights (2023) Gilles Villeneuve (2fnle16qdo)
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Scuderia Ferrari Fans: Jean Alesi explains why Gilles Villeneuve still ranks above Ferrari’s F1 champions
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Mshale: Brewstew - Scariest Roller Coasters Gilles Villeneuve (ERsopVZyYc)
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Mshale: Ethan Quinn Slow Motion Gilles Villeneuve (kzApxnL25v)
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Mshale: TSV Eintracht Bamberg H1 - SV Herschfeld H1 (Bayernliga Nord) Gilles Villeneuve (RT5ig0ulVj)
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Public attention spiked: 3,275 Wikipedia readers in one day, 4.9× the usual 666, with 0 article edits.
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Yahoo! Sports: Gilles Villeneuve’s final F1 race helmet breaks auction record
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Public attention spiked: 2,945 Wikipedia readers in one day, 4.4× the usual 666, with 0 article edits.
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Auto123: Gilles Villeneuve Officially Designated a Historical Figure of Quebec
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Yardbarker: Gilles Villeneuve: Ferrari’s fearless Canadian icon
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2022· 1 entry
autoevolution: Gilles Villeneuve's 1976 Ford Bronco Needs Some Tender Loving Care
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2021· 1 entry
Us Weekly: GrapeStars Leads NFT to Honor Formula 1 Driver Gilles Villeneuve
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2017· 1 entry
Italian rock band, The Rock Alchemist wrote the song, "27" for their Elements album as a tribute to Gilles Villeneuve's #27 Ferrari F1 car
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2013· 1 entry
Montreal News: Berthierville museum honours Gilles Villeneuve
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2007· 1 entry
John Hogan, the retired Vice President of Marketing at Ferrari sponsor Phillip Morris and later Jaguar Racing team principal who was at the sponsor during Villeneuve's career, disputed the claim that Pironi had gone back
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2005· 1 entry
To be produced by Capri Films Inc, and with Christian Duguay named as the director; the film has yet to materialise
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1995· 1 entry
And became Formula One World Champion in 1997
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1992· 1 entry
And a lifelike statue stands in a nearby park which was also named in his honour
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1982· 5 entries
Villeneuve died after an accident during the final qualifying session for the Belgian Grand Prix at Zolder
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Died 1982-05-08.
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Which he rejected because he was nervous over ending his contract with Ferrari but optimistic that the Italian team would be competitive
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“Behind the wheel of a racing car he was fearfully quick, never stopped trying, and could extricate himself from the most precarious situations with deft brilliance.”
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“Gilles was a totally uncomplicated non-political guy with no hangups whatsoever. He was totally and completely honest. If we were testing .. and the car was rubbish, he'd come in and say 'Look, the car's rubbish … I don't mind driving the car, don't get me wrong, I'll drive it all day .. and I love every minute of it, but I thought that you ought to know the car's rubbish.' … The Old Man (Enzo Ferrari) loved him for this.”
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1981· 2 entries
“He also never drove anywhere at anything less than an absolutely flat-out pace, be it on the road or the track...”
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And 1982, is still closely associated with him by fans
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1980· 1 entry
Villeneuve took back-to-back wins at the Monaco and Spanish Grands Prix in 1981, earning further acclaim for his defensive tactics at the latter
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1979· 4 entries
With Ferrari, and won six Grands Prix across six seasons
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“I was at home in Monaco that Sunday. A friend of mine called from Zolder and said 'Gilles has had a big accident, and it doesn't look good at all.' So I phoned Joann, and shot up to her place very quickly. From then on it was chaos and disaster. You don't want to think about it.”
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“It was terrible when Gilles died. I cried that day and the next one too, even though I had to race... ...and I remember the feeling that we were all starting equal, from now. Villeneuve was gone. We all knew he had talent beyond our reach.”
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Ultimately finishing the championship runner-up to teammate Jody Scheckter by four points
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1977· 1 entry
“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...”
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1976· 2 entries
Teamed with Chris Harrison's Ecurie Canada and factory March race engineer Ray Wardell, he dominated the season by winning all but one of the races and taking the US and Canadian titles
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Hunt's McLaren team offered Villeneuve a Formula One deal for up to five races in a third car during the 1977 season
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1973· 1 entry
Before graduating to Formula Atlantic, where he won two Canadian Championships in 1976 and 1977, and the American Championship in 1976
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1970· 1 entry
Married Joann Barthe, with whom he had two children, Jacques and Mélanie
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1950· 2 entries
Born 1950-01-18.
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“I will drive flat out all the time … I love racing.”
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