Gilles Villeneuve

It's raced in Montréal, on Nôtre-Dame island. It is a brand new circuit, created on the city streets. Jarier, as fast as lightning on his Lotus, soon reaches the first position. At the 5th lap Andretti and Watson collide. Jones, Scheckter and Villeneuve fight for the second position. The Ferrari driver overtakes Jones at the 19th lap; after a little while Scheckter as well is overtaken, due to some problems at the brakes of his car. After forty laps Jarier gap reduces, as he faces oil loss in the braking system. At the 49th lap, in the roar of 70.000 fans, Villeneuve takes the lead of the race. Twenty-one laps are missing to the end: the Ferrari #12 seems to have no troubles. Gilles hears some strange noises that worry him quite a lot, but the car keeps the track and the Canadian wins his first Grand Prix. "I finally broke the ice - he says - this victory was needed after all the disappointments of this last year. This is the happiest day in my life." Second comes Scheckter, soon Ferrari driver. Third is Reutemann, already former Ferrari driver.

On Friday the Pironi's Tyrrell looses its back left wheel. The car destroys meters and meters of fence. Didier leaves the car helped by Jarier and Piquet; he says he feels OK but soon after he falls. But nothing is serious and he will race all the same. Jabouille's turbocharged Renault gets the first pole position. At the second lap, at the entrance of the Crowthorne turn, Jabouille, Scheckter and Villeneuve are one close to the other at the sharp braking. At the following lap the race is put off for rain; it restarts half an hour later. The two new Ferrari T4, at their debut, soon head the race. Scheckter's car mounts slick tyres, Villenueve's the rain ones. The track is wet and Gilles soon gets first; after a while the track dries and Scheckter, with slicks on, runs better than all the others. At this point the Canadian needs to pit to mount slick tyres as well. He gets on track in second position following his teammate Schecketer who, in the attempt to control him, breaks a tyre in a sharp braking. He needs to pit as well and Gilles gets first again. The game is over; Villeneuve slows down in the last laps but wins with a four seconds gap. It is a fantastic first and second position in front of the stand crowded with Ferrari fans.

Villeneuve gets the pole position and he is the fastest in the morning free practices. His T4 mounts soft tyres, this choice is not approved by his teammate Scheckter. After the formation lap before start Gilles reaches his starting line; he sees no flags nor track managers and thinks he has to drive another lap, so he slowly proceeds with at least half of the formation. This joke costs him a three thousand dollars fine. At the start Villeneuve soon moves to the top, while from the fourth position Jarier recovers well on his Tyrrell. Scheckter fights with the French driver and can overtake him only at the 27th lap. Now the two Ferrari are in first and second position. When the chequered flag goes down Gilles has thirty seconds on Jody, who is facing troubles with his too hard tyres. Behind the two Ferrari fight Andretti, Depailler and Jarier, but it is Jones on his Williams who gets the third position. The Canadian comment on the race is short: "I had no kind of problems."

Five minutes before the end of practices Piquet gets the second position on the starting grid. The morning of the race the technicians change the engine on Gilles' car. The start is given when it's pouring with rain and for thirty-one laps the Ferrari #12 leads the race, followed by Jones's Williams. The rain stops and the drivers pit to mount rain instead of slick tyres. The Ferrari mechanics take seventeen seconds to do that, the Williams ones thirty-one. At his start Jones back right wheel is not tight enough and the driver looses it. We are now at the 36th lap and the game is over: Villeneuve wins easily. "I am sorry for Jones - says Gilles - but today nothing could be done, my car was excellent." Great recovery for Scheckter that, having started 16th, reached the second position, but after the explosion of his wheel he was forced to retire. Villeneuve becomes the world vice-champion, the Ferrari season has been perfect.

The appointment in Monaco is quite peculiar. Gil gives as usual the best of himself and scores the second best time, at 78 cents from Piquet. The Brasilian's Brabham leads the race for fifty-two laps but at the 53rd he crashes at the "Tobacconist" turn. It's a matter of a second and Jones takes the lead; but the Australian faces fuel supply problems and needs to pit, hoping to sort the matter out with a bit more petrol. When he restarts he is in slight odds, seven seconds. Will he manage? He won't manage! At seven laps before end Villeneuve is second at six seconds, after another lap the gap reduces to five seconds. Five laps are missing to the finishing line, Villeneuve overtakes Jones' Williams at the entrance of the Ste. Dévote turn, inflaming the enthusiasm of the crowd but also of the TV audience. No problems to the end for the Ferrari, winner on the less favorable circuit for the turbocharged engines. It is Gilles' first victory in Europe and he crosses the finishing line particularly worn out with his technicians cry for happiness. 601 days had gone by since the last victory of the Ferrari in a Grand Prix.

Gilles Villeneuve masterpiece. In the lead for sixty-six laps he makes no mistakes even if pressed by Laffite, known as "the mastiff" and behind him are Reutemann, Watson and, in the end, De Angelis as well. A five cars-snake; Villeneuve has the most powerful engine but a not handy car. There's no way to overcome the Ferrari, very fast on the straight but not in the curves as the defects of the chassis force the driver to proceed slowly. Jones gets off track at the beginning of the race for a driving mistake. The Australian goes on track again, but Villeneuve (who had started from the 4th line) is ready to take the lead followed by the other cars. Everybody believes it's a matter of a few laps and that, sooner or later, the Laffitte's Talbot Ligier will overtake. The French driver does in fact try several time to overtake but, with great fair play, Gilles keeps him at his back. The duel has enthusiastic tones, their driving is at the highest levels. After the race an exhausted Villeneuve states: "it was really, really hard."