Gilles Villeneuve

[robmarsh]

Thanks René, I really appreciate the effort in translating it for us. I only finished watching it just over an hour ago. Very sad still and I can still remember where and when I got the news.

[Carl]

Oct 13, 2018 14:43:52 GMT René said:

I have translated the documentary so it makes more sense to you. The comments by Jody Scheckter and some comments by Gilles are not in here because they are in English. All the other spoken words, voice over, race comments and the comments by Joann and others are translated.

Rene,

           Thanks for the wonderful effort to transform the film.  The video is bittersweet, sad and beautiful.  For some reason I remember more clearly Jacques outsmarting Schumacher at Jerez than Zolder 15 years before.  For many, of course, that race ended on the Saturday.

            Cheers, Carl

         

[Deleted]

[Deleted]

[René]

Less known but surely not less interesting; Gilles's participation in the Giro Automobilistico d'Italia 1979.

"Even the legendary Gilles Villeneuve participated in the Grande Corsa. It was in 1979 with a significant performance at the wheel of a Lancia Beta Montecarlo Alitalia, alongside Walter Röhrl and Christian Geistdorfer. With his spectacular way of driving, Villeneuve contributed to the victory that the unprecedented crew obtained, even if the annals do not report the victory because he was disqualified: Röhrl in fact used a stretch of motorway, to limit the damage of a delay in a transfer."

Villeneuve fever!

[Deleted]

29 August 1977. First time at Ferrari.

When they introduced me that little Canadian, all nerves, I immediately recognized Nuvolari's body in him and I said to myself: give him an opportunity.

[Deleted]

Been doing some research over the weekend.

Autosprint n 36, 1977.

Monday 29 August 1977.

After matters had been boiling for weeks, finally the divorce with Lauda is announced at 17:30. The statement says Lauda will leave on the 30th October, at the end of the championship. Lauda had left Ferrari's office half an hour before the announcement, with Sante Ghedini, on a 308 GTB, directed towards Bologna. In the meeting at Modena remain Ferrari, Luca Montezemolo, Piero Lardi (as he was still called), Della Casa, while from Maranello arrive Gozzi and Forghieri.

In the late afternoon, Villeneuve arrives, the meeting with the Canadian evidently scheduled in advance on the day of the big news. No apparent clamour around Villeneuve’s visit. In hindsight it indicates Gilles was on the shortlist from the beginning.

Autosprint n 38, 1977.

First choice initially appears to be Andretti. Mario is received at Fiorano on Monday 19 September, on a Rolls Royce (presumably loaned by Achilli Motors, RR’s Milan dealer, as they used to do with F1 top drivers). He appears open to the prospect, but Autosprint reports there are “legal obstacles”, Chapman is not willing to let his driver go amicably.

Tuesday 20 September 1977, Enzo Ferrari’s press conference at Modena.

Scheckter is also on the shortlist, but a telex from Peter Warr to Ferrari on 6th September, burns that path too, Ferrari acknowledging in his reply to Wolf on 7th September – exchange read by Gozzi in the press conference - that he would pursue Jody only when he would be available (just a year later, in fact).

Q. Ingegnere, can you give us the names of the candidates?

A. They are those you have written, 4 or 5. Let’s hope one of them will join. If nobody will come, because Ferrari is a vipers’ nest, as someone has described it, in that moment we will let race those who are naïve enough to run barefoot on the fields.

Autosprint n 39, 1977.

The title at page 20 states that “Villeneuve remains the only way”.

Andretti on the previous Wednesday had called from Nazareth, saying that he wasn’t willing to break his agreement with Chapman, and that he was making sure he wouldn’t have taken commitments with anybody the following year “before being certain of all opportunities (available)”.

Scheckter was definitely out of reach too, while several drivers who made themselves available – Fittipaldi, Peterson and Depailler – are declined. Watson’s name was briefly put forward, after it was clear he was losing his seat at Brabham, but Ferrari declined him too.

The circle was closing around Villeneuve.

Autosprint n 40, 1977.

Tuesday 20 September 1977

While Enzo Ferrari was holding the press conference in Modena, the consummate actor he was, Villeneuve was in fact already on his way to Italy.

After a long trip started on Sunday evening after his win at Sears Point in Can Am, he gets to Modena at 20:00, driven from Malpensa airport by Dr Mortara, received by Ferrari, Lardi and Della Casa. He signs the contract and finally gets to the hotel at 22:00.

The official statement is released at 23:00 hours.

Wednesday 21 September 1977

9:00 Villeneuve is driven to the factory. Cockpit measures for the test car are taken, noting that the car was set up for Eddie Cheever, who had it last tested, 1.86m tall, while Gilles was 1.56…

13:53, always driven by Mortara, he enters the for the first time the Fiorano test track.

13:55 Enzo Ferrari, driven by his personal driver, arrives too.

13:58 The van carrying the monoposto for the new driver enters the Fiorano gate, followed by a white Lancia Gamma with Piero Lardi.

14:00 While the F1 is warmed up, Villeneuve laps the track on a 131.

14:15 Forghieri arrives driving a yellow 128.

14:32 Villeneuve takes to the track on the T2. The second lap is in 1min 30 sec. After seven laps, he pits.

14:45 Second outing, starting to push, around 1’ 18”. After five laps, first spin. Enzo Ferrari says Villeneuve “made a comma” (“ha fatto una virgola”).

Best time of the day 1’ 14” 38. Then another comma. Stop at 18:00.

First day as official Ferrari driver is over.

Ferrari’s idea was to replicate 1974, pairing a mature driver with a younger one. Reutemann and Villeneuve, as it turned out.

On Autosprint n. 40, page 21, it is reported that Villeneuve’s contract option with McLaren was the main obstacle to overcome:

Enzo Ferrari: If there wasn’t this option, I would have signed the agreement on the 29th of August, instead we had to wait until yesterday night.

[René]

Great Lucio. Love these Italian reports!

[Deleted]

It's an homage to your devotion and passion for the driver, Rene'.

It's interesting to read back the chronicles of the times, paying attention on how things developed, the details, knowing already by and large the whole picture. Re-reading the transcript of Ferrari's press conference is almost literature, full of his trademark witty and sniding remarks towards the press assembled in front of him. It was pure theatre, he couldn't stand them, but needed them and used them as he saw fit for his own purposes, not least to indulge in some self-gratifying cult of personality.

From the above it seems clear that the Old Man had his sights on Villeneuve only, from the start. He had had "references" from Chris Amon, who had seen Gilles up close in Can Am on the Dallara-Wolf, to confirm his hunch on the Canadian.

I am slightly puzzled by what he had in mind with Andretti (and Scheckter) as his interest in Mario appears genuine and has been confirmed from a couple of other independent sources. Of course, both Mario and Jody had been the stand out drivers, with Lauda, of the 1977 season. It seems to transpire that if Ferrari could have gotten Andretti, possibly he would have ditched Reutemann. Almost as if his pursue of Mario and Jody wasn't to fill Lauda's seat, that actually both seats were up for grabs at a certain point. Piero Lardi Ferrari could usefully think to write his own memoirs, he's got plenty of time in his hands.

[Deleted]

I would add this, also.

The press conference which took place while Villeneuve was on his way to Maranello, effectively said nothing, Villeneuve almost never mentioned - he was still nobody at that point. It was set up for Ferrari to reply to all the speculation on the press, national and international, to all the nonsense that went on between Lauda and Ferrari after the driver had left slamming the door, to sort of restore the Old Man's pride. Real theatre. Ferrari had been touched in his pride, a world champion who was leaving his team, in a move which had been clearly long in preparation, in hindsight Lauda had raced all 1977 full of resentment towards Ferrari. He obviously forgot or didn't consider how the business went on, when a team lost a driver in an accident, they would replace him with another. So, perhaps, the move on Andretti and Scheckter was to show that Ferrari could replace the world champion with anybody of Lauda's level, that driving a Ferrari F1 car was an aspiration of any driver.

Love him or hate him, the saying "they don't make 'em like that anymore" fully applies to Enzo Ferrari.

[Deleted]

Forghieri, Andretti and Enzo Ferrari. Mario's "legal obstacles".

[chrisb]

Rene, merci -that is just so good of you, thank you,  but my word that is tough reading for a morning, his loss the more poignant and what happened between Michael and Jaques so, so, I just can't think of the right word to use.

As a human being I still believe in the value of giving your word and sticking to it, as a competitor and ok at a level where it really doesn't matter, but honesty does, if I am unsure I will call that and if in doubt, no matter what the stage of a game is I will replay the point, what Michael did at Adelaide in 94 and against Jaques in 97 is totally reprehensible to my way of thinking, irrespective of ancestry, car or anything, I just cannot bear that mindset.

It was pure tragedy what the reaction to San Marino was,

[René]

Oct 16, 2018 7:45:25 GMT chrisb said:

Rene, merci -that is just so good of you, thank you,  but my word that is tough reading for a morning, his loss the more poignant and what happened between Michael and Jaques so, so, I just can't think of the right word to use.

As a human being I still believe in the value of giving your word and sticking to it, as a competitor and ok at a level where it really doesn't matter, but honesty does, if I am unsure I will call that and if in doubt, no matter what the stage of a game is I will replay the point, what Michael did at Adelaide in 94 and against Jaques in 97 is totally reprehensible to my way of thinking, irrespective of ancestry, car or anything, I just cannot bear that mindset.

It was pure tragedy what the reaction to San Marino was,

You're welcome Chris. It's a well made documentary that I wanted to share but it only makes sense if you understand what is being said.

I didn't tell you to watch/read it early in the morning though!

[René]

Here is a great race to watch; the 1979 South African Grand Prix where the Ferrari T4 made its debut and the Renault turbo car showed its real potential for the first time. Enjoy.

Or watch directly on youtube:

[charleselan]

I just love this photo of the little warrior it seems so appropriate to me.