Gallery: Three great GPs won by Gilles Villeneuve
On January 18th 1950 Canadian racing legend Gilles Villeneuve was born, let’s remember the great Canadian with a collection photographs from three of six the Formula 1 Grand Prix he won.
Formula 1 Grand Prix USA – 1979 – Watkins Glen
Steering his signature 12 cylinders of Ferrari might, Gilles Villeneuve holds off the Renault of Rene Arnoux and takes first place at the second F1 GP to be held on American soil in 1979. Watkins Glen was the final round of the season, the opening round was held at Long Beach – which he also won. Villeneuve finished the season in second place, behind team mate Jody Scheckter.
Formula 1 Grand Prix Monaco – 1981
Claiming his first victory since 1979, this photograph shows Gilles Villeneuve on his way to victory during the Monaco Grand Prix of 1981. Nelson Piquet led for much of the race, but crashed out late on. New race leader Alan Jones then suffered a fuel feed problem in the latter stages of the race, allowing Gilles Villeneuve in his Ferrari, to take his first victory since 1979.
Formula 1 Grand Prix Spain – 1981
Still remembered as one of the closest finishes in F1 history, and one of Gilles Villeneuve’s greatest races, the 1981 Spanish GP saw just 1.24 seconds separate first and 5th place. Gilles drove like a mastermind and kept pole-winning Jacques Lafitte behind him to win by just over two tenths of one second.
For our photo gallery showcasing the best of Gilles click here.
Images: TheCahierArchive©
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