Gilles Villeneuve
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Saint-Jean-sur-Richelieu, CanadaPosition
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Deceased
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White
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Description
Joseph Gilles Henri Villeneuve (French pronunciation: ; 18 January 1950 – 8 May 1982) 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.
A racing enthusiast from an early age, Villeneuve started his career in snowmobile racing across his native province of Quebec. He soon progressed to open-wheel racing, winning the regional Formula Ford championship in 1973 before graduating to Formula Atlantic, where he won two Canadian Championships in 1976 and 1977, and the American Championship in 1976. Villeneuve made his Formula One debut with McLaren at the 1977 British Grand Prix, impressing Enzo Ferrari, who signed him with Ferrari for 1978. He made an early debut for the team at the Canadian Grand Prix after the departure of World Champion Niki Lauda, and was involved in a collision with Ronnie Peterson which killed two bystanders at the season-ending Japanese Grand Prix. Amidst struggles with Michelin's radial tyres the following year, Villeneuve took his maiden podium in Austria before winning his home Grand Prix in Canada. He won several races in 1979, ultimately finishing the championship runner-up to teammate Jody Scheckter by four points. Villeneuve earned widespread acclaim for his performances, including his duel with René Arnoux at the French Grand Prix. After a winless season for Ferrari with the 312T5 in 1980, 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.
During qualifying for the 1982 Belgian Grand Prix at Zolder, Villeneuve died as the result of a collision with Jochen Mass. He achieved six wins, two pole positions, eight fastest laps and 13 podiums in Formula One. At the time of his death, Villeneuve was widely popular in the motorsport community, and has since become an iconic figure in the history of the sport. The Circuit Île Notre-Dame in Montreal was renamed the Circuit Gilles Villeneuve upon his death, home of the Canadian Grand Prix since his 1978 victory. His son, Jacques, won the World Drivers' Championship in 1997, becoming the first World Drivers' Champion from Canada. Alongside Jacques, Villeneuve is an inductee of the Canadian Motor Sports Hall of Fame and Canada's Sports Hall of Fame.
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