Our dear Hungarian colleague Károly Méhes sat and talked with Joann Villeneuve – Gilles’ widow – last weekend at Imola.
Méhes’ latest book "Gilles Villeneuve - His untold life from Berthierville to Zolder" is a 192-page account of the late Canadian driving legend's too-short career and life. Last weekend, he met Joann at Hotel Olympia.
Q: How does it feel to return to Imola? Joann Villeneuve: “I must say it is really heartwarming. It has been 33 years since Gilles death and I can feel he is much loved still today. He wasn’t Italian… There are people who are enthusiastic about him who never saw him race. I come here with tremendous pleasure. On the other hand, it is also a good chance to meet the members of the old Ferrari family, with Mauro Forghieri, Brenda Vernor, Gilles’ mechanics along with some old journalist friends. They are all here.” Q: Gilles ran his last race here in Imola. How do you remember this weekend? To your knowledge, did the infamous deal exist between him and Didier Pironi? “Yes, I can confirm it. There was an agreement. The race had only 14 starters and Imola was always cruel on fuel. Making sure both Ferrari would come home safely and not disappoint the fans was crucial. They agreed that whomever would lead at half-distance would remain there until the chequered flag. Gilles stuck to this and Didier didn’t. I know it very well. I kept the lap chart and I remember that Didier’s lap times were much faster than Gilles’. At that time there wasn’t any radio communication to order the drivers to maintain a certain strategy.” Q: Everyone remembers that Gilles was furious after the race. Did he want to leave Ferrari? “That day and also next day – yes! But his emotions were still high. He wanted to win that race desperately and he had all the chances to do it. A few days later, he calmed down. Gilles wasn’t a kind of person who kept his anger or who cried for revenge. The fact is, I also heard from him that he would never speak to Didier again. Who knows how it would have worked out? I believe it would have settled down between them. There was just no time for it.” Q: How would you describe their relationship? Were they friends? “Didier told a lot of people he and Gilles were friends. What sort of friend is it when he doesn’t invite you to his wedding? We weren’t invited. And it wasn’t a small wedding. It was a social event with many in attendance. I think, Didier realized what Gilles meant to the team and for himself after his accident and death in Zolder.” Q: Marco Piccinini, Ferrari’s team manager, also attended the wedding. He was Pironi’s best man. How did this make you feel? “Oh, yes, Piccinini… You know, I am better not saying anything about him.”
Q: Then came Zolder. You stayed at home because it was going to be Melanie’s first Communion. On Saturday afternoon Jody Scheckter called you with the sad news. Did you sense something intuitively when the phone rang? “No. I tell you how it works. Racing is a kind of activity where you must be aware of the possible danger. It was even worse in the ‘70s and the ‘80s. The fear of an accident was always there, but I tried to hide this feeling in the deepest parts of my brain. I didn’t want to deal with that every day. It was the same for me later when Jacques [her son] raced. I knew there would be crashes and some hot moments. I just avoided them because you cannot live so…it is something like the lives of the wives and girlfriends of those who serve in Iraq or Afghanistan. At any moment it might happen.” Q: Did you talk about it? Did Gilles promise to quit one day? “Promise? (laughs) No, never. It was not like that. You cannot say ‘when will you stop in the future?’ I think he wanted to go on for many more years. He may have had the intention to race together with Jacques [Gilles’ brother] at Le Mans. I never asked him to stop, although, I would have preferred it, but I knew it would affect him terribly. Gilles knew I accepted his way of life and that I wouldn’t hound him about it. This was a sort of way between us.” Q: Going back to Gilles’ early races in Formula 1. He had a huge crash in Japan in 1977 that could have ended quite tragically. How did you cope with that crash? “Me? I just didn’t realize it. In the mid-70s the TV coverage and the communications were far less sophisticated than today. Gilles came back, saying he was out of the race and went to the motorhome to have a rest. Shortly after this Patrick Tambay emerged quite shaken and asked how was Gilles. Why? I asked. He had retired and was having a rest. Patrick then told me what a terrible accident Gilles had. I did not realize what he had gone through. Gilles would not share the dangers with me. He spared me that. Only later in different magazines did I see some photos of the Fuji accident. It then became evident for me that is must have been a huge impact which could have turned out really bad for Gilles. I just did not realize it at the time of the accident.” Q: Which victory was his dearest? “His last in 1981. The victory in Spain was really great because he had to drive faultlessly having all the guys behind him for most of the race. He also loved his success in Monte Carlo, too. Firstly because if was the first turbo Ferrari victory, secondly, before the race everybody said it was impossible for a turbo to win on a street circuit. Otherwise, the 1981 Ferrari wasn’t a great car. Winning with it was really an achievement!” Q: Many people have said that Gilles wasn’t interested in winning the championship. His aim was being the fastest in every lap. Is this true or false? “No, it is not true! He thought in a different way. He said ‘if I am the fastest in every lap, I will win the race. If I win many races, I will win the Championship’. This is why he pushed to become fastest in every single lap!” Q: The legend of Gilles Villeneuve exists – but Gilles was your husband and the father of your children. How do you keep the personal memories to yourself? “After Gilles’ death I had to make a decision. It was, so to say, very pragmatic. I couldn’t allow myself to remain in sadness and mourning. I had two small children growing up. That was a serious task. Still, Gilles remained for me a husband and racing driver as well. In my home I still have all the personal memories of him, the photos, his trophies, just as we did in his life. This is what has not altered at all during the past 33 years…” Copyright: Károly Méhes
Recent Articles
|
Racing Multimedia
Recommendations |