Gilles- the myth

Between 1950 and present:: yes.

Between 1950 and the last F1 race ever:: still in doubt.

 

Do not waste your time with those who have dry hearts and emotions at half-mast. It is too late for them!

 

That's a nice tribute......I hate that in Italy they still are fighting the covid so hard.

Those Ferrari veterans are history.
Salute...

 

It was a nice tribute, as always i get a bit sad when i see something like this, Gilles was so much bigger than f.1, than everyone still loves him, and i think the next generation will also, because unlike current empty f.1 champions, he had real talent, real spirit, real personality, he was loved and admired by everyone, and he is the most important Ferrari driver, ever. As Frank Williams once said (if i recall correctly at the end of the 79 season ) "Gilles did more for f.1 than all of us together."
Gilles was the best ever, by a long, long stretch, i will never, ever forget him, nor will f.1 real fans.

 

This will seem harsh but the reason is:
He was killed doing what he loved. had he lived to retirement - and not won any championships and only won 6 races... he would be the Canadian guy who used to wreck cars all the time and got lucky. When he died, he was at the top of his game and had a car worthy of winning... that is what makes a legend. Jim Clark was the same, but what if he had lived and kept on, and never won a championship again? people would have just said Oh, jimmy was not able to deal with the larger cars, he was just a good driver in the 60's.

There are plenty of drivers like that... Brambilla - won a race and that was it.... Reutemann, Laffite, Arnoux, etc... Villeneuve just was right there and was taken when he had so much going for him at that time. unless you are a real F-1 fanatic you don't remember the other guys I just mentioned... but they all won races... but nobody really knows them. Villeneuve never won a championship but he's remembered for so much promise snuffed out so early. all the theatrics is all we have to remember him by. He was never able to grow old and tired... like a lot of drivers do.

 

Yep. this is correct. the other thing is ... Mercedes also is participating when there are more races per year... so if you average out that part - I think the numbers to Ferrari would be better but still I think Mercedes is THE team. Hamilton clearly the driver.

 

I call that the "James Dean effect" when a promising young talent is killed at the high of his glory, to become a cult symbol.

Put together attractive personality, undeniable talent, spectacular success plus a mass of followers compounded with a tragic death, and you have a recipe for a myth.

 

yep. right on. I actually met Villeneuve, and he was a very nice guy. I was 11 or 12 met him at the last F-1 race at Watkins Glen... got an autograph, he said to me - you like Ferrari why? I said because of the sound. he patted my arm, signed my program, and kept talking to a mechanic. I was standing at the back of the garage on the Thursday afternoon, as they were prepping the cars, and he was leaning up against the garage door, at the Kendall tech center. after he died, our local good year tire dealer had a huge sign, in his window that showed Villeneuve getting tires changed in his 126c2 so my dad asked the guy what they do wtih that stuff when they put up a new sign. -guy says throw it away, my dad says - call me my kid would love it. so I had that in my room from about age 14 to 18 ... it was almost as big as my wall. I taped Villeneuve's autograph to that sign..! thankfully I still have it but its in pretty bad shape.

 

Rene Arnoux on Gilles Villeneuve & the 1979 French Grand Prix | F1Destinations.com :

https://f1destinations.com/rene-arnoux-on-gilles-villeneuve-the-1979-french-grand-prix/