Last December 25, Sky Documentaries broadcast a documentary film focused on lives and careers by Gilles Villeneuve and Didier Pironi. Companions, rivals, first friends then enemies, in that 1982 that cost both dearly. The film is characterized by the unprecedented presence of the families of the pilots. Their soul mates (Gilles Joann's wife and Didier's partner Catherine) embody the more human side, while their offspring (Melanie and Jacques Villeneuve on one side, Gilles and Didier Pironi on the other) represent the legacy that the two champions have left on this Earth.
Villeneuve-Pironi, where it all began
The core of the action is the season 1982. After years of chasing the title without ever catching it, Villeneuve and Pironi both have the chance to win it thanks to an extremely competitive car. The Canadian, first guide and in the team for the longest time, makes the mistake of consider himself the favourite at the Ferrari house. On the other side of the pits, in fact, the Frenchman, the latest arrival who spent his first year in Red in the shadow of his team-mate, he feels he can finally fight on equal terms.
The action you don't expect
The breaking point of a relationship hitherto almost too idyllic takes place in Imola, on April 25, on the occasion of the San Marino Grand Prix. After the withdrawals of both Renaults, the only rivals for the win that day, Villeneuve drove a Ferrari one-two. In the pits, the focus is only on bringing home the result: the panel with the word "slow" is displayed to slow down both riders, freeze positions and avoid unnecessary risks. Pironi, however, breaks the pact: on the last lap, in the last overtaking point available, he overtakes Villeneuve and goes on to win the race. Gilles, a very good pilot, too naive, is in a rage. Didier was more than just a teammate to him and he betrayed him. To himself, the Aviator promises himself never to speak to him again.
Drama day
Unfortunately, that was the case. On 8 May, during qualifying for the Belgian Grand Prix at Zolder, Villeneuve (eighth) is determined to finish ahead of Pironi (sixth) and continues undaunted to look for the perfect lap. During the last flying lap, he doesn't realize he's catching Jochen Mass's March at high speed. The impact is inevitable and costs Gilles his life. All that remains for Didier is to pick up the helmet of that friend who has suddenly become an enemy and sadly return to the pits. with feelings of guilt to be the root cause of that fatality.
A drastic restart
The season, for the Frenchman, is not going much better, on the contrary. In Canada, on the circuit renamed Villeneuve, he stalled at the start and was hit by Riccardo Paletti's Osella. The young Italian, only in his second appearance in the Circus, tragically loses his life. Then, a few weeks later, during qualifying for the German Grand Prix, Pironi's desire to prove he is the best leads him to overdo it. Under torrential rain, with pole already in his pocket, he continued to lap like crazy and didn't see Prost's Renault proceeding slowly in front of him. In a similar impact to Comrade Gilles, Didier breaks his arm and both legs. It will take over thirty operations and months of rehabilitation to save his lower limbs from amputation, but his career in Formula 1 can be said to be over.
An immortal dynasty
After recovering, he embarks on the road of off-shore racing. Unlike cars, boats will prove fatal to them: in 1987 he lost his life off the coast of England. Meanwhile, his partner Catherine had finally managed (despite various health problems) to become pregnant with twins. On January 6, 1988, just after giving birth to them, she decided to call them Gilles and Didier. The first, by the way, is now an engineer who worked for Mercedes in F1 and last spring he moved to Ferrari.
As for the Villeneuve family, in 1997 his son Jacques manages to complete his father's mission and wins the championship on Williams. The legacy of the two legends, therefore, is still very much present in motorsport.
