Heinz Prueller, noted German speaking journalist, talked to Gilles after the race, telling him that he was about to be black-flagged. Gilles replied: "How was I supposed to see that flag?" :)))
that is why he never won the title. His Ferrari gearbox failed at Monaco 79, because he shifted gears when he went over a crest. Jody Scheckter lifted slightly and shifted afterwards. The difference of heart and head.
Wow that's just insane; driving blind, in rain, and had that "elastic car control" older fans always talked about examplified everywhere throughout the video as a car going over 100mph in the rain is slipping and sliding all over the place. I can't fathom the excitement this guy brought to a live crowd.
Finished 3rd like that! This was my introduction to Gilles Villeneuve, too late really. The only Canadian to win the Canadian Grand Prix- and I just wish I watched that race live, too.
@@TheLaughingMagpie In a shitty car, the1981 126CK had massive turbo lag and terrible handling... on such a tight circuit... and with such a lead.... out of this world driving... from the car designer mouth himself Harvey Postlethwaite: "To win those races, the 1981 GPs at Monaco and Jarama - on tight circuits - was quite out of this world. I know how bad that car was."
@@cornemuse61 yeah it's only advantage was the powerful engine but even that didn't make up for the horrible chassis and handling, and somehow he still dragged that car to 2 wins and a few podiums
I was at this race with my wife in the pouring rain. She's no longer my wife. I'm so glad that i was in the stands not having to listen to Stewart's overly timid commentary. Gilles was a RACER !
Would have been? He never was champion. Why do people like you attempt to re-write history. Oh my, if lance armstrong the rubber band salesmen had not cheated he would have still won multiple championships!
***** Exactly, don't bother guys. He probably love the modern cars looking more like the game-pad for the X box than a real race driving car/ Enuff said
I'm proud to say I was there watching from the grandstand at that corner in the pouring rain that day, with my brother. We were there for the first Montreal Grand Prix when Gilles won his first GP too. He was the greatest. Obviously you can't really compare drivers of different eras. But when you read what his contemporaries/ fellow drivers thought of him, it makes you wonder what other drivers inspired that kind of awe and respect from their rivals. Maybe only Clark and Fangio.
He was the only driver who could drive a formula car ,sideways!!!. AND STILL FINISH FIRST. Jimmy Clark and Gilles were the best there`s ever been . Salut Gilles
Extraordinary combination of bravery, skill and reckless stupidity - that's what made Gilles so great. If you remember him racing you can't help but hold him in the highest regard
Saw him in Direct Film Formula Atlantic car # 69 at Mosport Canada. Leading and Spun at corner 10 and had to pit for tires. Went from last to finish 2nd. Phenomenal display of racing.
Wether he rode an off-road,snowmobile,boat,helicopter, the notion of fear was inexistant with him.He always felt he was in control. He had such feeling of anything mechanical.
I was there that weekend. In those days, with some luck, you could get into the garage area easily. On the Saturday after qualifying, I managed to sneak where his motorhome was close to the garages. (They were at the Olympic basin) As I turned around, there was a very narrow alley between two big transport vehicules, and Gilles was right there in front of me…this alley was just wide enough for Gilles and I…I was right there alone with my hero…I could not believe it! How on earth I managed to keep breathing I will never know, but I managed to ask him; « Si il pleut demain, es-ce que ça va t’aider? « (If it rains tomorrow, will it help you?) He look down , paused, and said « Peut-être…on verras « (Maybe, we’ll see) And he gave me a typical Gilles Villeneuve smile, tap me on the shoulder, and said « désolé, je dois y aller » (Sorry, I have to go) I was the happiest young Villeneuve fan on earth. I still have watery eyes every time I tell that story. Love you Gilles ♥️
Gilles was a very important driver in the modern approach to driving in Formula 1. Stewart's era and thereabouts never took the car as far as Gilles did as regularly. It was accepted that perfection was an impossible and lethal target and that you picked your battles carefully. It was said that the ultimate goal was to win a race at the slowest speed possible. By the time Gilles came along the thinking was very similar despite the increased safety and it took a driver like him to show everyone that, sure, you could choose when you pushed and when you didn't, but if you went for it all the time you could often work miracles. This, in turn, gave us the basis for the Senna vs Prost era, where Prost was very much of the old school of 'push only when it makes most sense' up against Senna's 'everything matters' approach. Whatever you may have thought of Senna and Prost respectively Senna's, and Gilles' approach won out ultimately as it was championed and further refined thereafter by Michael Schumacher and all who have come since.
Not entirely because Schumacher's secret was that he was both incredibly fast AND smart at the same time though the first one arguably was more prevalent, as can be seen by his ability to bring cars in championship contention that had no business in doing that.
Villeneuve was the only driver who could follow the leader's pace with a much inferior car, the only driver who defied the laws of physics on every lap, the only one who could complete 60 laps with the intensity of a qualifying lap, regardless of the condition of his car or the track. In 100 years, we will still be talking about him. For the others, I have my doubts.
Gilles as in his own risk but he did alot well, maybe he saw much less but he took some reference points to put his car in right position, or he just watched enough. Brilliant drive! Imagine how many things he would do if he just still alive, he could maybe, race with Senna, or win a world championship, or win some other achievements
He prefer racing like this than just park the car in the pits. Gilles: Mmm no i won t pass pit stop, probably crew tell me to get out of the car like the other time i was driving on two wheels. Yeah i m ok. Besides i can see a little.
It just proves that he'd become easily world champion, every year, if he would've driven the normal car more cautiously. He was the best racing driver ever.
True enough, if you ever saw him drive, you'd be completely hooked. Read what Nigel Roebuck wrote about Gilles F1 debut in Britain 1977. They all thought he was crazy after multiple spins during the weekend as Gilles sought out "the limit" by going over it. During the race it was a different story, he was brilliant in an antiquated previous year's McLaren. What was the McLaren "brain-trust" thinking when they let him get away?
F1 cars are easier to drive today because before there was zero driving assistance. Tracks and cars are much more safer. Alonso or Hamilton would have been a greats drivers with old F1 because they have natural talent. But in addition to his talent what made Gilles unique was his guts. In those days the distance between success and death was much shorter. Just look how his car lift off when he died. A simple contact could mean the end. So when you look back at his battle with Arnoux with his oversteering "red cadillac" in Dijon or Montreal driving blind with a lifted front wing, what you see is not only talent. To have such balls is a signature: Gilles Villeneuve.
ik volg F1 sedert 1967 en GILLES was een echte racer ongelofelijk bekwaam en dat je dat overkwam op Zolder GP Belgium . De mooiste en spannenste momenten in de F1 staan op jou naam
he absolutely hated to be called canadian...a thing his best italian friends learned quickly about haha many european journalist were shocked on how much angry he became on the subject when he was always laughing and being relax the rest of the time.
Gilles was racing for the win, he didn't pit stop to remove the damaged front wing because that would have reduced his chances to get a win... Gilles was the man!
Gilles Villeneuve says "Fuck aerodynamics!" ...and then went on to finish to the podium. One of the many few and true Canadian bad asses of our time! RIP Gilles. :')
so....this was Sir Jackie Stewart.....stop him.......and: History says..this was one of the greatest drives.....i am 50 yrs now, but i remember it from not watching on TV, but buying all racing magazines that time....
A Lost nose cone would not stop him the car had to lose all 4 wheels for Gilles to even think of retiring from the race. Even then he would probaly still try and carry on. Gilles Villeneuve a true Racecar drive R.I.P
Holly cow that would have been UTTER COOL AND WHEEL TO WHEEL. because villeneuve died in 1982, Senna entered F1 in 1984, if Gilles was still alive, he would race Ayrton hopefully while he was at Lotus, and perhaps lastly in 1988 :D My god that would have been the best era of F1
Schumacher, Prost, and Hamilton etc. may have been the best, But Gilles Villeneuve was the greatest. By far. Jackie Stewart, "My God, He's going to continue!". Dijon '79, Jarama and Monaco '71. Zandvoort...watch them. Watch any of the Grand Prix between 1978 an 1981 and you'll see. Gilles was the only driver I can recall, after the 1950s, that truly understood the sport versus risk element of top level car racing. And took on that challenge. And he never quit. Gilles died because he wanted a last shot at beating his team-mate to pole, and poor-old Jochen Mass happened to be in the way. In the modern era there is virtually no risk, and that has profoundly changed the profile of motorsport. And so Formula One has now been hi-jacked and turned into a Televison Show. I have competed in motorsport (albeit at a very modest level) and acknowledged the risks involved. if you're not willing to accept them then buy a tennis racket. Gilles Villeneuve was the reason I became involved in motorsport! Sadly I didn't achieve even the tiniest fraction of his success, certainly didn't have anything like either his courage or talent, and happily I am still alive! But I hope that I may have had the slightest, briefest, tiniest glimpse of what it would take. Vive Gilles!
One of the best there ever was , excellent car control and huge balls !
De grooste racer ooit
@@paulsoenens3184 met die groot balle😅
@michaelfreeland8096 not funny
That's why in Italy we loved him so much
Heinz Prueller, noted German speaking journalist, talked to Gilles after the race, telling him that he was about to be black-flagged. Gilles replied: "How was I supposed to see that flag?" :)))
Ah ah ah :)))))))
🤣🤣🤣🤣
really?...pouahahahahahhhh...legend !
Legendary
I've been following F1 since the mid 60's. Gilles was by far the most exciting driver I ever watched.
Gilles ..un passionné ...acharné...qui ne reculais devant aucun obstacle pour gagné....rip Merci pour les beaux moments vecu.
Gilles Villeneuve driving blind... in the rain.
And without the front wing!!
Gilles drove with his heart, not his mind.
R.I.P Salut Gilles
probably explains why he's dead.
probably explains why he's remembered
that is why he never won the title. His Ferrari gearbox failed at Monaco 79, because he shifted gears when he went over a crest. Jody Scheckter lifted slightly and shifted afterwards. The difference of heart and head.
@Guy SO TRUE!!
He always drove with his heart,that’s why he’s a legand
Gilles Villenuve was wild , a true racer a gift to every one thank you Gilles.
He did, he finished 3rd with a broken front wing! Incredible!!
Wow that's just insane; driving blind, in rain, and had that "elastic car control" older fans always talked about examplified everywhere throughout the video as a car going over 100mph in the rain is slipping and sliding all over the place. I can't fathom the excitement this guy brought to a live crowd.
a real race driver
nailed it
Gilles Villeneuve was an electrifying talent behind the wheel!! Always amazing!! Great fun to watch.
The most exciting driver who ever strapped into a F1 car.
Finished 3rd like that! This was my introduction to Gilles Villeneuve, too late really. The only Canadian to win the Canadian Grand Prix- and I just wish I watched that race live, too.
@@TheLaughingMagpie In a shitty car, the1981 126CK had massive turbo lag and terrible handling... on such a tight circuit... and with such a lead.... out of this world driving... from the car designer mouth himself Harvey Postlethwaite: "To win those races, the 1981 GPs at Monaco and Jarama - on tight circuits - was quite out of this world. I know how bad that car was."
@@cornemuse61 yeah it's only advantage was the powerful engine but even that didn't make up for the horrible chassis and handling, and somehow he still dragged that car to 2 wins and a few podiums
The best driver of every time
back then men use to race. salut Gilles!!! we miss you
I don't ever expect to see his equal. Totally mesmerising ability.
A F1 driver who raced against Villeneuve said: "He drove every race lap as if it was a qualification lap"
If there was only one on board camera made, in the spacetime, i would just put it on Gilles Villeneuve car.
I was at this race with my wife in the pouring rain. She's no longer my wife. I'm so glad that i was in the stands not having to listen to Stewart's overly timid commentary. Gilles was a RACER !
now that is one radical front wing design!
Maybe he was a fan of the March 711 😄
he was really cool driver... no doubt he wouldve been world champion.
Would have been? He never was champion. Why do people like you attempt to re-write history. Oh my, if lance armstrong the rubber band salesmen had not cheated he would have still won multiple championships!
Stephen Raznick steve... chill steve.....
@@mv3098 reading is hard? Would have been, yes, he would have won a championship
1:12 ahahaha Gilles was amazing. Jackie couln't believe it. FORZA GILLES!
totally amazing..unreal..il était incroyable...une vrai légende.
the greatest of all f1 drivers
Reduced visibility, no front wing, wet track and STILL takes podium?! Now THAT is an excellent driver.
Maybe he died without Championship, but for me, Gilles would be the greatest artist of wheel and the greates Pilot of the World.
Grazie Gilles
Driving blind. In the rain. With no front axle downforce.
Yup, that summarizes it pretty good :)
A True Racer at Heart and an even better Racer Behind the Wheel.
That's why Gill is a legend just like Senna, They both would beats all the odds, both one of a kind!!
FOCK YOU !
FOCK YOU !
FOCK YOU STEPHEN ASS HOLLE
*****
Exactly, don't bother guys.
He probably love the modern cars looking more like the game-pad for the X box than a real race driving car/ Enuff said
Gilles The Best My brother
Typical of "Gil" Villeneuve. Simply amazing. I miss this guy very much !! Forever remembered.
I'm proud to say I was there watching from the grandstand at that corner in the pouring rain that day, with my brother. We were there for the first Montreal Grand Prix when Gilles won his first GP too. He was the greatest. Obviously you can't really compare drivers of different eras. But when you read what his contemporaries/ fellow drivers thought of him, it makes you wonder what other drivers inspired that kind of awe and respect from their rivals. Maybe only Clark and Fangio.
His car control is unbelievable, speed truly wonderful, driver,who I followed when I little,we was robbed of the battle with him and senna
He was the only driver who could drive a formula car ,sideways!!!. AND STILL FINISH FIRST.
Jimmy Clark and Gilles were the best there`s ever been . Salut Gilles
From the times when the drivers were real men and weren't busy complaining on the radio.
Because there was no radio
What an absolute madman! Hahaha
Extraordinary combination of bravery, skill and reckless stupidity - that's what made Gilles so great. If you remember him racing you can't help but hold him in the highest regard
Gilles after losing wing:
" finally! This car was so heavy!!"
Go back my childhood, amazing the world was paralyzed on TV, seeing something never seen in F1
. Crazy Gilles
Only Gilles. That's why we love him so.
awesome driver , awesome style , awesome heart ....That's Villeneuve!
Saw him in Direct Film Formula Atlantic car # 69 at Mosport Canada. Leading and Spun at corner 10 and had to pit for tires. Went from last to finish
2nd. Phenomenal display of racing.
He was a master in handling the formula 1 car...!
We miss someone like Gill today!
R.I.P!
God bless you Gilles !
Gilles was the exception of the rule. The only driver statistics are completely wrong about him
Gilles et Artyon courraient pour nous tout les weekend...
Sans calculer..
Gilles surtout.
RIP Gilles Villeneuve et Artyon Senna.🏁🇨🇦🏁
Wether he rode an off-road,snowmobile,boat,helicopter, the notion of fear was inexistant with him.He always felt he was in control. He had such feeling of anything mechanical.
Unbeliavable car control
I was there that weekend. In those days, with some luck, you could get into the garage area easily. On the Saturday after qualifying, I managed to sneak where his motorhome was close to the garages. (They were at the Olympic basin) As I turned around, there was a very narrow alley between two big transport vehicules, and Gilles was right there in front of me…this alley was just wide enough for Gilles and I…I was right there alone with my hero…I could not believe it!
How on earth I managed to keep breathing I will never know, but I managed to ask him; « Si il pleut demain, es-ce que ça va t’aider? « (If it rains tomorrow, will it help you?) He look down , paused, and said « Peut-être…on verras « (Maybe, we’ll see) And he gave me a typical Gilles Villeneuve smile, tap me on the shoulder, and said « désolé, je dois y aller » (Sorry, I have to go) I was the happiest young Villeneuve fan on earth.
I still have watery eyes every time I tell that story. Love you Gilles ♥️
Splendide
The ARTIST... 👍💯🏎️🏁🤓🇨🇵
I remember that race! Forgot it was CFCF-12's Ron Reusch doing the commentary with Sir Jackie Stewart. So it was on CTV here in Canada.
Gilles was a very important driver in the modern approach to driving in Formula 1. Stewart's era and thereabouts never took the car as far as Gilles did as regularly. It was accepted that perfection was an impossible and lethal target and that you picked your battles carefully. It was said that the ultimate goal was to win a race at the slowest speed possible. By the time Gilles came along the thinking was very similar despite the increased safety and it took a driver like him to show everyone that, sure, you could choose when you pushed and when you didn't, but if you went for it all the time you could often work miracles. This, in turn, gave us the basis for the Senna vs Prost era, where Prost was very much of the old school of 'push only when it makes most sense' up against Senna's 'everything matters' approach. Whatever you may have thought of Senna and Prost respectively Senna's, and Gilles' approach won out ultimately as it was championed and further refined thereafter by Michael Schumacher and all who have come since.
Except James hunt also did it before it was cool
Not entirely because Schumacher's secret was that he was both incredibly fast AND smart at the same time though the first one arguably was more prevalent, as can be seen by his ability to bring cars in championship contention that had no business in doing that.
Senna fazia milagres nas pistas, Gilles era o milagre em pessoa.
Exato
Ah le seul , l' unique , le vrai . Gilles was a master. No one will ever see a moment like this in F1
That's real racing. Whoever has something bad to say about it, just cannot understand the thrill and the heart of the matter.
Inarrestabile dimostrò che tutto era possibile. Grazie gilles
Memories....Canadian TV, 1981 Canadian Grand Prix...Gilles finished 3rd....
Gilles being Gilles!
Unique!!!
this is real driving RIP to great hero . .
what would that wing be worth now , if someone had the foresight to grab it ?
GO GILLES GO!!
saw him at brands in practice he did a crazy number of laps and they announced no need to change the pads brands wasnt fast enough for him. hero
Villeneuve was the only driver who could follow the leader's pace with a much inferior car, the only driver who defied the laws of physics on every lap, the only one who could complete 60 laps with the intensity of a qualifying lap, regardless of the condition of his car or the track. In 100 years, we will still be talking about him. For the others, I have my doubts.
Gilles as in his own risk but he did alot well, maybe he saw much less but he took some reference points to put his car in right position, or he just watched enough. Brilliant drive! Imagine how many things he would do if he just still alive, he could maybe, race with Senna, or win a world championship, or win some other achievements
Nicolás Soto if he hadn't had his accident I'm sure he could have been one to be challenging all time records that in the future set by Schumacher
Also: You can tell from Jackie Stewart's commentary how long it has been since he was in a race car.
I don't think there's ever been a driver whose car control can rival Villeneuve. He was practically superhuman in that regard.
He prefer racing like this than just park the car in the pits.
Gilles: Mmm no i won t pass pit stop, probably crew tell me to get out of the car like the other time i was driving on two wheels. Yeah i m ok. Besides i can see a little.
It just proves that he'd become easily world champion, every year, if he would've driven the normal car more cautiously. He was the best racing driver ever.
True enough, if you ever saw him drive, you'd be completely hooked. Read what Nigel Roebuck wrote about Gilles F1 debut in Britain 1977. They all thought he was crazy after multiple spins during the weekend as Gilles sought out "the limit" by going over it. During the race it was a different story, he was brilliant in an antiquated previous year's McLaren.
What was the McLaren "brain-trust" thinking when they let him get away?
Le meilleur pilote au monde! R.IP Villeneuve!
Nowadays there would be a red flag because rain....
Because Pirelli actually. Remember what the driver said about the wet tyres in Brazil?
gilles one the best driver ever
F1 cars are easier to drive today because before there was zero driving assistance. Tracks and cars are much more safer. Alonso or Hamilton would have been a greats drivers with old F1 because they have natural talent. But in addition to his talent what made Gilles unique was his guts. In those days the distance between success and death was much shorter. Just look how his car lift off when he died. A simple contact could mean the end. So when you look back at his battle with Arnoux with his oversteering "red cadillac" in Dijon or Montreal driving blind with a lifted front wing, what you see is not only talent. To have such balls is a signature: Gilles Villeneuve.
ik volg F1 sedert 1967 en GILLES was een echte racer ongelofelijk bekwaam en dat je dat overkwam op Zolder GP Belgium . De mooiste en spannenste momenten in de F1 staan op jou naam
crazy! first time seeing this one. Got Balls!
It's absolutely shame we haven't any decent footage of Gilles's onboards driving. I would pay a fortune to see that.
Sir Jackie: "I would make no attempt to make an extra lap with that."
Gilles: *IM FAST AS FUK BOI*
Great fighter no fear .Whatever it takes for the victory Pure f1 driver His place belongs next to Ayrton
right foot down....!!!
A good Canadian boy he was, if it was snowing he would have won.
he absolutely hated to be called canadian...a thing his best italian friends learned quickly about haha many european journalist were shocked on how much angry he became on the subject when he was always laughing and being relax the rest of the time.
The man, the myth, the legend
Yes the drive that made the City rename the track after him..Oh man i was like 5 when i seen this on tv.
Gilles was racing for the win, he didn't pit stop to remove the damaged front wing because that would have reduced his chances to get a win... Gilles was the man!
Yes. And he finished in 3-rd place!
Remember watching this live on TV.
Im born 19 years after villeneuves death but god i love how he drived
what a legend!!
Gilles Villeneuve says "Fuck aerodynamics!"
...and then went on to finish to the podium. One of the many few and true Canadian bad asses of our time!
RIP Gilles. :')
so....this was Sir Jackie Stewart.....stop him.......and: History says..this was one of the greatest drives.....i am 50 yrs now, but i remember it from not watching on TV, but buying all racing magazines that time....
Where everybody says Senna, I allways say Guilles
Fantástico piloto! Mas vejam como são as coisas: um formula 1 atual não andaria nesse ritmo nem com a reencarnação do Fangio.
Sensacional!
A Lost nose cone would not stop him the car had to lose all 4 wheels for Gilles to even think of retiring from the race.
Even then he would probaly still try and carry on.
Gilles Villeneuve a true Racecar drive
R.I.P
genius!
Hahahaha, you'll never see that these days. That's amazing driving, Epic 👍
Holly cow that would have been UTTER COOL AND WHEEL TO WHEEL. because villeneuve died in 1982, Senna entered F1 in 1984, if Gilles was still alive, he would race Ayrton hopefully while he was at Lotus, and perhaps lastly in 1988 :D My god that would have been the best era of F1
Schumacher, Prost, and Hamilton etc. may have been the best, But Gilles Villeneuve was the greatest. By far.
Jackie Stewart, "My God, He's going to continue!".
Dijon '79, Jarama and Monaco '71. Zandvoort...watch them.
Watch any of the Grand Prix between 1978 an 1981 and you'll see. Gilles was the only driver I can recall, after the 1950s, that truly understood the sport versus risk element of top level car racing. And took on that challenge. And he never quit.
Gilles died because he wanted a last shot at beating his team-mate to pole, and poor-old Jochen Mass happened to be in the way.
In the modern era there is virtually no risk, and that has profoundly changed the profile of motorsport. And so Formula One has now been hi-jacked and turned into a Televison Show.
I have competed in motorsport (albeit at a very modest level) and acknowledged the risks involved. if you're not willing to accept them then buy a tennis racket.
Gilles Villeneuve was the reason I became involved in motorsport!
Sadly I didn't achieve even the tiniest fraction of his success, certainly didn't have anything like either his courage or talent, and happily I am still alive! But I hope that I may have had the slightest, briefest, tiniest glimpse of what it would take.
Vive Gilles!
Dude was awesome.
il mio mito !!
What a Boss!
Salut Gilles :-)
Immense natural ability,still sadly missed.
The ground effects on those cars were capable of generating incredible downforce. Brabham hardly ran a front wing on their BT49.
quanta abilidade desse gênio