of Gilles Villeneuve, the most beloved racing driver of his generation, a man without whom, for many, motor racing was never the same again.
Intrinsic to the accident at Zolder was the conduct of his Ferrari team-mate, Didier Pironi. At Imola, two weeks before, the red cars – low on fuel – had been cruising to a 1-2, Gilles ahead, but on the final lap, at the last overtaking point, Pironi abruptly whipped past, and stole the victory.
To that moment, Villeneuve had trusted Pironi, but now vowed never to speak to him again: 13 days later, on a banzai lap at the end of qualifying, came the accident.
Pironi would always profess innocence in the Imola affair, claiming he believed they were fighting for the win. The facts –…
