Didier Pironi
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Villecresnes, FrancePosition
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Didier Joseph Louis Pironi (26 March 1952 – 23 August 1987) was a French racing driver and offshore powerboat racer, who competed in Formula One from 1978 to 1982. Pironi was runner-up in the Formula One World Drivers' Championship in 1982 with Ferrari, and won three Grands Prix across five seasons. In endurance racing, Pironi won the 24 Hours of Le Mans in 1978 with Renault.
Born and raised in Val-de-Marne, Pironi was the half-brother of racing driver José Dolhem. After initially studying engineering, he enrolled at the Winfield Racing School at Paul Ricard, earning a scholarship to compete in Formula Renault, where he won the Eurocup in 1974 and 1976. After finishing third in the 1977 European Formula Two Championship, Pironi progressed to Formula One in 1978 with Tyrrell, making his debut at the Argentine Grand Prix. Pironi retained his seat at Tyrrell the following season, achieving his maiden podium at the Belgian Grand Prix. He moved to Ligier in 1980 to partner Jacques Laffite, taking his maiden win in Belgium—amongst several podiums—as he finished fifth in the standings.
His performances at Ligier attracted the attention of Enzo Ferrari, who signed him to Ferrari in 1981 as the teammate of Gilles Villeneuve. Whilst leading the 1982 World Drivers' Championship, having controversially won the San Marino Grand Prix amid the FISA–FOCA war, Pironi was seriously injured during qualifying for the German Grand Prix; he crashed his Ferrari 126C2 in very wet conditions, severely injuring his legs. The accident came three months after the death of Villeneuve, whose fatal crash was attributed to his rivalry with Pironi. He ultimately lost the title by five points to Keke Rosberg. He retired from racing with three wins, four pole positions, five fastest laps and 13 podiums in Formula One.
Outside of Formula One, Pironi entered four editions of the 24 Hours of Le Mans from 1976 to 1980, winning in 1978 alongside Jean-Pierre Jaussaud, driving the Renault Alpine A442B. He was also a race-winner in the BMW M1 Procar Championship. In August 1987, Pironi died in an offshore powerboat racing accident near the Isle of Wight.
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