Legendary F1 driver Gilles Villeneuve lost his life in the tragic accident that occurred during qualifying of the Belgian Grand Prix, May 8th, 1982; 30 years ago this season. Frenchman René Arnoux was renowned for his spectacular on-track duels with Villeneuve.
René Arnoux, who won the 1983 Grand of Canada in Montreal, was one of Gilles Villeneuve's dear friends.
Everybody can remember the fight the two had during the dying moments of the 1979 French Grand Prix.
"Gilles was an incredible character. He was very sincere and always true – I appreciated such qualities. He could do stuff at the wheel of a Formula 1 car that no one else could," reminisces Arnoux, who drove for Martini, Surtees, Renault, Ferrari and Ligier in F1.
"I remember that one time at Watkins Glen," Arnoux continues.
"We were arguing over a specific corner; about whether or not it could be taken absolutely flat-out. I could never do it. Every time, my right foot would lift. Then, during free practice, the red flag came out, and I saw Gilles' Ferrari, in pretty bad shape, sitting on the tow truck.
"The wheels had been torn off and the body was heavily damaged. Gilles stopped in front of me and, smiling, he said: 'You were right, it doesn't go through flat-out! I tried and it didn't work!'," Arnoux laughs.
"At Dijon '79, we fought wheel to wheel for many laps. It was crazy, but only Gilles could to that sort of things. I was confident, because it was him. Maybe I wouldn't have held on to the position so tight if it had been with another guy…
"Gilles did a lot to help our sport's popularity because he was so close from the people and the racing fans. He was like Mr. Spontaneous," Arnoux goes on.
"I like spontaneous people, like the French Canadians."
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| René Arnoux and Gilles Villeneuve (Photo: WRI2) |
René Arnoux, who won the 1983 Grand of Canada in Montreal, was one of Gilles Villeneuve's dear friends.
Everybody can remember the fight the two had during the dying moments of the 1979 French Grand Prix.
"Gilles was an incredible character. He was very sincere and always true – I appreciated such qualities. He could do stuff at the wheel of a Formula 1 car that no one else could," reminisces Arnoux, who drove for Martini, Surtees, Renault, Ferrari and Ligier in F1.
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| René Arnoux, Renault F1 (Photo: WRI2) |
"I remember that one time at Watkins Glen," Arnoux continues.
"We were arguing over a specific corner; about whether or not it could be taken absolutely flat-out. I could never do it. Every time, my right foot would lift. Then, during free practice, the red flag came out, and I saw Gilles' Ferrari, in pretty bad shape, sitting on the tow truck.
"The wheels had been torn off and the body was heavily damaged. Gilles stopped in front of me and, smiling, he said: 'You were right, it doesn't go through flat-out! I tried and it didn't work!'," Arnoux laughs.
"At Dijon '79, we fought wheel to wheel for many laps. It was crazy, but only Gilles could to that sort of things. I was confident, because it was him. Maybe I wouldn't have held on to the position so tight if it had been with another guy…
"Gilles did a lot to help our sport's popularity because he was so close from the people and the racing fans. He was like Mr. Spontaneous," Arnoux goes on.
"I like spontaneous people, like the French Canadians."
 |
| René Arnoux (Photo: WRI2) |