Remembering Gilles

[enemy-ace]

Spare a thought for Gilles Villeneuve.
May 8th, 1982

Hope your sideways with your foot down in heaven.

[Damon]

Yep, well remembered enemy. The guy is a true legend.

[Knowlesy]

I've been watching old footage lately and I haven't honestly seen a more exciting style than Gilles. RIP

[Kicking-back]

For all the criticism of the current qualifying rules, they prevent situations like that which killed Gilles.

[Pingguest]

Originally posted by Kicking-back
For all the criticism of the current qualifying rules, they prevent situations like that which killed Gilles.

The current qualifying system only prevents accidents between two drivers. But if the car of Villeneuve would have been safe enough, he would still be alive.

The current qualifying system stimulates drivers to take more risks, because it's their only change of doing a good lap.

[Kicking-back]

I was referring to a) collisions between two drivers and b) the tyre rules of the time which saw people take insane risks on qualifying tyres


The current system doesn't encourage risk-taking, but caution because no-one wants to start at the back

[Yoong Montoya]

Originally posted by enemy-ace
Spare a thought for Gilles Villeneuve.
May 8th, 1982

Hope your sideways with your foot down in heaven.

Only 7 days after the date of Senna's death

Gilles Vs Senna - who would win that one? Some battle that would be

[Down F0rce]

Gilles is one of those who should have been Champ. His battle with Arnoux is a classic. RIP Gilles.

[TedN]

Originally posted by Down F0rce
His battle with Arnoux is a classic. RIP Gilles.

"It was just a couple of young lions clawing at each other." - Mario Andretti

"That is my best memory of Grand Prix racing. Those few laps were just fantastic for me - outbraking each other and trying to race for the line, touching each other but without wanting to put the other car out. It was just two guys battling for second place without trying to be dirty but having to touch because of wanting to be first. It was just fantastic! I loved that moment."- Gilles Villeneuve

Ted

[Fogelhund]

A truly great racer, whom should have been a WDC.

[DriverT]

Great driver. He is sadly missed by many.

[climb]

Unique driver, the only one able to superbly drive the undriveable, like he showed in Spain 81.

[Mal]

And Monaco

[Kicking-back]

May's a bad month for racing deaths.

The coming weekend is 18 years since Elio de Angelis had his fatal crash.

[Sato san]

that was bad....Poor Elio , how testing safety standards changed after Elio was lost .

[Liz]

My memory of Elio also includes GIlles -- during the FISA/FOCA strike when they entertained their fellow drivers on the piano and trumpet. Both were gentlemen, who remained the natural unspoiled guys they had always been no matter what fortune brought to them.

As for modern rules preventing what killed Gilles ... the bottom line is that what killed him was being cheated by his teammate and having his team back the cheater. That situation, unfortunately, has not changed and likely it never will. But it did cause Alain Prost to continue to try to patch up his relationship with Senna, as he still believes that it was bitterness and bad feelings that led ultimately to the deaths of both Gilles and his betrayer.

We'll never see the like of either man again -- in Formula One. But in sports cars the spirit of Gilles lives on.

[Adam43]

Great men, both of them. And great racers too.

I think this thread will be better served in the Tributes forum where we can leave the relatively unimportant aspects of today's racing behind us and just remember...

[climb]

Liz,
fortunately not all the (very numerous) angry drivers make fatal mistakes.
I'm not sure that, without Imola's problem, Gilles would have been slower or more cautious when getting close to Mass.