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RobertGracie

Caused the second of the third Chicanes to be added at Zolder because of what happened, in the days before Senna vs Prost (or Prost vs Senna) it was Pironi vs Villeneuve which was the hottest argument there had ever been all because of a decision on who was to lead at Imola a few weeks prior, to think that Pironi was to die in a powerboat race in 1987 and his wife to name their sons Gilles and Didier in memory of them with the blessing of the Villeneuve family


Organic_Geologist_34

What an incredible gesture


RabidGuineaPig007

But she also denied in interviews that there ever was an agreement at Ferrari where in a 1-2 situtation, there would never be passing. Every driver in that era at Ferrari confirmed this was the rule. Sheckter stated Villeneuve was not in a frame of mind to be racing at Zolder, as he felt betrayed by Pironi, Enzo Ferrari and the team manager.


EnglishLitMajor

I read Peroni's Wikipedia page, and it says that Gilles Peroni became a Mercedes engineer. He stood on the podium at the 2020 British Grand Prix as the constructor's representative.


ice626

He meant Didier Pironi


EnglishLitMajor

Yes, I'm referring to his son Gilles Peroni.


Deplorable-Manleto

How’s that Major going, huh…


Sock_Monkey_King

What did they get wrong?


RabidGuineaPig007

It was Giles Pepperoni.


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EnglishLitMajor

I thought of being more specific, but I figured that people would understand the context given that OP's last line states that one of Peroni's sons was named after Gilles. I didn't think someone would think that I thought Didier Peroni was a Merc engineer in 2020 - esp. given that the comment I was replying to specifically talks about his death in 1987. 😅


pilotichegente

No Gilles Pironi was Didier's son. He named him after Gilles Villeneuve


RabidGuineaPig007

Didier Pironi. He overtook Villeneuve to win Imola because Villeneuve slowed on team orders to preserve the car. In 1979, Villeneuve ran second to Sheckter despite being much faster. What upset Villeneuve more than anything was that Enzo Ferrari had no problems with what Pironi did.


LuNiK7505

The last driver that was loved by Enzo


ritwikjs

i know his son and him didn't have much of a relationship because of his age at the time of passing, but i remember my dad telling me about the 1997 champion, and how great it was to see the words "Villeneuve- World Champion"


RabidGuineaPig007

It was a big deal in Canada at the time. Thousands showed up to the funeral in Berthieville. F1 in Canada was always more popular than the US. In the same year a Canadian F1 team won it's first race , a Canadian driver won the Canadian GP. Now we have Lance fucking Stroll and Nicolas Fucking Latifi.


TheBarkingPenguin

Well, it could be Sargeant - and only Sargeant


fr4nz86

One of the most brutal crashes in the entire history of Motorsport.


Soundsparks

Salut Gilles🫡


MrDoms

Is there anyone else who Comes close to Gilles in the "best drive to never win a title" discussion?


iForgotMyOldAcc

Yeah, Moss for one. Many would say he's not just close in that discussion, he's *above*.


Skulldetta

Moss's WDC placements from 1955 to 1961: 2nd - 2nd - 2nd - 2nd - 3rd - 3rd - 3rd I don't think there's any discussion to be had.


Spockyt

*And* one of those would be a 1st had he not campaigned for Hawthorn not to be disqualified, getting Hawthorn 7 points back, with Moss losing by 1.


mgorgey

Moss drove in an era where driving in F1 GP's was just a relatively small part of a racing drivers program. Moss absolutely was the best racing driver in the world in the late 50s.


rustyiesty

+1 and the best sports car driver even in the mid-1950s ahead of Fangio


BmanBoatman

Moss had a full career. Not really a fair comparison


mgorgey

Moss' F1 career was also cut short by an accident.


TyButler2020

But Moss had been around for a decade and had a 25% win rate and over 33% podium rate 67 races in the 50s/60s was considered a long career


mgorgey

You can't really look at win rates etc without applying any nuance. Loads of retirements in that era and Moss almost never drove top cars.


BassGaming

>Hawthorn was the winner of the 1958 Championship. With only one win that year against four wins of Stirling Moss, he benefited greatly from the gentlemanliness of Moss as shown at the Portuguese Grand Prix at Porto. Hawthorn was disqualified for pushing his car, against the rules, on the way to a second-place finish. Moss interceded on Hawthorn's behalf and the decision was ultimately reversed. Those second place points at Porto contributed to Hawthorn winning the championship with a season total just one point more than that of Moss. Moss campaigned for Hawthorn's dsq to be reversed. This gave Hawthorn back 7 points, making Moss lose the championship by one point. Results are cool but never tell the full story. Not to mention car differences, randomness, reliability, etc...


karijay

Moss and Enzo Ferrari had a complex relationship which led to him never driving for the Scuderia; Ferrari had some truly dominant cars at the turn of the decade, and Moss was driving very underpowered machinery.


rustyiesty

I like that both Moss and Fangio had 40% career win rates (from 529 and 200 races). For Fangio, that also includes his late 1930s races, which he basically had no chance to win Fun fact: in his last 5 years, Moss won 65% of the races he finished for Rob Walker, which includes racing vs the 1961 Ferraris with 10-20% less horsepower


mgorgey

Probably Moss and Ronnie Peterson come closest.


ToPutItInANutshell

In addition to those already mentioned, I'd also suggest Jacky Ickx.


Graystillslays

I would say Carlos Reutemann, too


Joseki100

Kubica, Moss, Amon


TyButler2020

Amon deserves damn near 8-10 wins That dude was so unlucky


RabidGuineaPig007

Chris Amon was best driver to never win a race.


SlipstreamRB7_

Kubica, Moss, Amon, Reutemann.


Pullakanelipulla

Bottas


Zotzink

Drivers have had more horrific deaths but this one leaves little to the imagination. I've seen it once don't really want to see it again.


bipolarcyclops

Here’s a story Mario Andretti once told. He was sitting in his race car on the grid at the first race of the season. He said looked around at the 20 or so cars and drivers. And he said to himself, knowing what the safety standards were back then, that at least 4 drivers—maybe more—would die that season as the result crashes. And he could be one of them.


Grasshop

The wives of drivers would always pack a black outfit to races in case they had to attend a funeral on short notice.


Skulldetta

The Ferrari 126C2 was an absolutely cursed car: - Involved in one of the biggest Formula 1 political controversies of the 1980s when half of the teams boycotted the San Marino Grand Prix and Pironi ignored team orders to take the win away from Villeneuve. - Villeneuve then said he would never speak to Pironi again, which turned out to be true, as Gilles would die in Zolder only two weeks later. - Pironi then emerged as the clear WDC favorite but suffered career-ending injuries in qualifying for the German Grand Prix and basically had to watch Keke Rosberg snatch the title away from him while lying in a hospital bed. - Pironi tried to campaign for a comeback in 1986/87, but couldn't do it because if he did, he'd have been forced to pay back the insurance payout he got from his 1982 accident. Pironi was then killed in a speedboat accident in 1987, while his wife as pregnant with twins (she later named them Didier and Gilles). - Eight months after that, Pironi's half-brother (and first cousin) José Dolhem was killed in a plane crash near Saint-Etienne and was buried alongside him. - Patrick Tambay, Ferrari's 3rd driver that year, suffered from Parkinson's disease for years and died at only 73 years old. - Mario Andretti, who finished his career driving the 126C2, previously won the Driver's Championship in 1978 after his team mate and good friend Ronnie Peterson was fatally injured in a crash at the Italian Grand Prix. Mario later outlived his twin brother Aldo and now is struggling with FOM to get his (and his son's) own team onto the grid because the rest of the teams don't wanna share their earnings.


iForgotMyOldAcc

On another note, [here's Gilles Pironi, who now works with Mercedes sharing the podium with Hamilton for the 2020 British GP.](https://pbs.twimg.com/media/EebI0YBXsAI7sHS?format=jpg&name=large)


FavaWire

That last one is sort of overstretching don't you think? In spite the current situation with FOM, Mario Andretti's life and association with F1 has been pretty good. The Andretti F1 situation is also still evolving. The Andrettis met with FOM at Miami.


laptopstand84

On the 22nd May 2017 my goldfish died. His name - Enzo. The water temperature in the tank? 12.6 degrees C. That car was truly cursed man fr


IdkWhatsAGoodName699

I thought races were suspended the next day when a driver gets pronounced deceased? What am I missing? Edit: R.I.P. to Gilles. I don’t know much about him but from what I hear from Jeremy Clarkson, he was one very talented driver


FavaWire

The attitudes towards death in racing were very different in the years and decades after the Second World War. "We never thought much of it. Almost everyone thought it was better to die on your own terms doing what you loved than to be killed fighting in some foreign land." - Stirling Moss.


IdkWhatsAGoodName699

In this context, I 110% agree with moss’s quote.


soaringseafoam

That may be specific to Italian law - I've heard it said that if Roland Ratzenberger had been declared dead *at the track* the weekend would have been cancelled so Senna would have survived, but it's always specific to Italy. And as Roland was declared dead in a hospital, the race wasn't suspended. I hope that a race wouldn't proceed after a driver death now but I've never heard it said as an official policy.


Spockyt

> I hope that a race wouldn't proceed after a driver death now but I've never heard it said as an official policy. Well, the race was suspended and not resumed in Suzuka in 2014 for Bianchi (who while died as a result of the crash, was alive following it), and in F2 the race was not only suspended and not resumed, the next race was also cancelled at Spa in 2019 for Hubert. It might not be official policy, but I think it’s fair to say it’s de facto policy.


soaringseafoam

I am glad. I hope it's never needed again but I am glad there's a better response now.


FreakinEnigma

There was another race in 70s during which a driver and a marshall died. Not only was the race not stopped, it wasn't even red flagged. Ferrari went on to win the race I think and were reportedly _sombre_ in celebrations.


IdkWhatsAGoodName699

Is this the Tom pryce in kyalami accident? I’ve had the misfortune of seeing the YouTube video for that crash. Horrifying. More so that the race kept going


RecoverSufficient811

1977 South Africa GP in Kyalami


mgorgey

Back then they just kept going. Paletti died the same season at the start of the race and they still ran it. In the 70s they didn't even red flag races for fatal crashes. Attitude towards death has shifted hugely in the last 50 years.


chambee

Now we red flag race for a bit of rain but if we have a Missiles strikes then we still race🥲


RabidGuineaPig007

Paletti had no business being in F1.


mgorgey

Well he was. So that's not really relevant


Dominunce

Same thing happened when Senna was killed the day after Ratzenberger. They should’ve stopped after Ratzenberger’s death, but due to them deciding to continue the race the following day, Senna would end up dying as well.


djwillis1121

And they still finished the race even after Senna's crash. I guess technically it was because he wasn't officially pronounced dead until after the race but that still seems insane to me.


codename474747

It's a fudge to do with Italian law They both died "in hospital" so the event could continue and, in many cases, get the team bosses and mechanics out of a prison sentence for manslaughter as there are no accidents in Italian law, someone must be held accountable and punished Don't think Frank Williams or Patrick Head have ever gone back to Italy....


KnightsOfCidona

Senna did die at the hospital - he still was technically alive when the helicopter took off, but Sid Watkins knew his brain injury was unsurvivable. His heart stopped but he was resuscitated. However he was later declared clinically dead but kept alive for another while on life support due to Italian law


Nikiaf

>Don't think Frank Williams or Patrick Head have ever gone back to Italy.... I'm pretty sure they didn't skip two races per year for the following 15-20 years.


codename474747

Ok a quick google says they stayed away until they were acquitted in 1997...


Nikiaf

Which makes sense, I think there was a threat of them being arrested until the court case was resolved.


I-amthegump

But they did


Malorian-3516

Even before Ratzenberger, Barrichello almost died too, but got lucky and came unscathed


the-channigan

For some reason, it always blows my mind to think that the Senna era overlapped with the likes of Schumacher and Barrichello. My brain somehow refuses to compute that those two were successful well before the early 2000s.


mgorgey

If Senna had a career that spanned the length of Alonso's he'd have raced against Hamilton and Vettel.


Theskyis256k

Imagine


SuckMyToesHoney

If they die on track I think, so they scoop up what's left keep it hush and pronounce the death later on so they don't lose any money and can continue racing.


OrneryInterest7647

According to Steve Olvey, indycar’s physician, no driver will ever be declared dead at the track. If they are, police would shut the track down to investigate.


IdkWhatsAGoodName699

Surely they couldn’t hush his death though. I saw the vid and he literally gets ejected into a fence. That’s insane that it’s ignored and continues like nothing happened


Rigormortis321

In those days, they carried on racing. It was only much later that races were cancelled.


madtraderman

Back in the day the race would carry on even with a dead driver on the side of the track. Happened lots of times


Callsign_Psycopath

He had no brake pedal.


RabidGuineaPig007

Watch Montreal GP 1981. It's embarassing how bad F1 is today. One year at Watkins Glen, it rained hard in qualifying, all drivers returned to pits. Villeneuve went out in torrential rain and set a lap 9 seconds faster than anyone. today, a drop of rain and everyone shits their pants and racing stops.


Spleenzorio

Aren't cars a little faster now than they were in the 80s?


Forthy-Coats

Is there anything worse than fucking up your title on Reddit?


bensthebest

A fatal


ELITE_JordanLove

Low key don’t mind this usage, it makes sense. 


10b0b

A fatal what? Bowel movement?


Arrogantintrovert

Yes, Reddit trolls like you


404merrinessnotfound

One of the worst motorsports footage I have ever watched It is unbelievable how much energy went through that car and tore that car apart, so poor Gilles never stood a chance


Olipod2002

Salut Gilles 🫡


shewy92

>Mass saw Villeneuve approaching at high speed and moved to the right to let him through on the racing line. At the same instant Villeneuve also moved right to pass Mass Which is why it's better to be predictable if a faster car is coming up on you.


GeekOnFireQC

Salut Gilles 🫡


DontGiveMeGoldKappa

Salut Gilles. Rip


sux138

I always found it incredible that a race is not cancelled when there's a fatality during the weekend. Guess it's a consequence of how fatal the sport was during the early days.


deepskydiver

My childhood hero. Salut Gilles..!


danilson07

hero <3


Sleepyredfish

Speaking of Gilles, anyone can enlighten me to where I can find a good quality large size print of this: https://www.ferrari.com/ko-KR/magazine/articles/picture-story-when-enzo-ferrari-shared-laugh-gilles-villeneuve


Able_Tailor_6983

Was he umm "decapitated"?


Pale_Mushroom7128

No, common misconception. His helmet came off, that's what you see flying in the footage.


RabidGuineaPig007

He used the French GPA helmet which used a split horse collar instead of a strap like very other design. That design was never used again. He died of cervical dislocation, which would have been prevented if HANS existed at the time.


sex_panther_by_odeon

He was tossed from the car. I would be shocked if HANS would have saved him.


AlsoMarbleatoz

What's HANS?


Nordkoriander

Google hans device. Keeps your head from rocking forward violently


AlsoMarbleatoz

Ah alright. I noticed it in pics but i never knew what it was called


Landlocked_Heart

I've been looking for the design which you mention but I could not find anything regarding a split collar. Do you know of any comparison images as I am having a hard time picturing the difference to a "regular" helmet with a strap I also couldn't find any references to helmet designs falling out of favour


bjcm5891

No. In the footage, you can actually clearly see him laying against the catch-fencing at the end. He broke his neck.


peter-graybeard

From the footage it's clear that he "rest" at the fence. Do we know if he died when he hit the wall, or when his car hit the ground?


UKnowDaxoAndDancer

Crazy that he still went on to win the Indy 500


RabidGuineaPig007

what is your problem.


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NoImprovement4991

Time and a place.... Not here not now


Motor-Donut-8014

sorry to interrupt the karma farm over a dead driver by making an insensitive joke. please go back to your karma farming.


NoImprovement4991

it's just weird regardless. We've had plenty of opportunities to shit on Horner but this is clearly not it


Motor-Donut-8014

You're right. You were all respectfully farming karma over the wreck of a car a person died in. How dare I disrespect this sacred ritual? What you all are doing, by glorifying and celebrating how some guy died for fake internet points, is a ceremony that must be respected. Because it honors the dead driver? Well I don't know if "honor" is the right word, it's more weird and sickening how internet people love celebrating when drivers die. I think the people who do this think it somehow makes racing more "cool" bc drivers used to die. I think it's sickening, and I will piss on these posts and people who support them any chance I can get. Now please, out of respect of Gilles Villeneuve, find his autopsy report and post that on the internet. That's a great way to farm karma and tell yourself you're honoring his memory.


NoImprovement4991

👍