Three races that explain the genius of Gilles Villeneuve
11/08/24 • 76 min
1 Listener
On this episode, Matt and Richard explore the genius of one of Formula 1's most celebrated drivers: Gilles Villeneuve.
The unassuming French-Canadian only won six Grands Prix in his all-too-short career, but his reputation remains up there with the very best, and his legacy still looms large over the sport, not least because of his artistry behind the wheel and pure love of racing.
To help reappraise the Villeneuve legend, Matt and Richard have picked out three races from his F1 career which they use as jumping off points to discuss what made the late, great Ferrari star so revered by fans, and especially by Enzo Ferrari - even if some of Villeneuve's peers weren't always so effusive about his uncompromising approach to racing...
- Want to listen ad-free? Join The Race Members' Club on Patreon! Head to Patreon.com/therace - we even have an F1-only tier!
- Buy some Colossally merch! Visit The Race Shop
- Follow The Race on Instagram, Twitter and Facebook
- Check out our latest videos on YouTube
- Download our app on iOS or Android
A Race Media Production
Producer: Jonny Reynolds
With special thanks to Tim Silvey for studio support
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
On this episode, Matt and Richard explore the genius of one of Formula 1's most celebrated drivers: Gilles Villeneuve.
The unassuming French-Canadian only won six Grands Prix in his all-too-short career, but his reputation remains up there with the very best, and his legacy still looms large over the sport, not least because of his artistry behind the wheel and pure love of racing.
To help reappraise the Villeneuve legend, Matt and Richard have picked out three races from his F1 career which they use as jumping off points to discuss what made the late, great Ferrari star so revered by fans, and especially by Enzo Ferrari - even if some of Villeneuve's peers weren't always so effusive about his uncompromising approach to racing...
- Want to listen ad-free? Join The Race Members' Club on Patreon! Head to Patreon.com/therace - we even have an F1-only tier!
- Buy some Colossally merch! Visit The Race Shop
- Follow The Race on Instagram, Twitter and Facebook
- Check out our latest videos on YouTube
- Download our app on iOS or Android
A Race Media Production
Producer: Jonny Reynolds
With special thanks to Tim Silvey for studio support
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Previous Episode
American F1 teams - the good, the bad and the ugly
With Andretti Global still trying (and currently failing) to gain a place on the F1 grid, Matt and Richard thought it was high time to look back at the American teams that have come and gone from Grand Prix motor racing over the years.
They tell the tale of the American upstarts who shocked the French establishment in the 1920s, explain the story of the billionaire named Lance (no, not that one) who hobnobbed with movie stars before starting his own team in the late 1950s, and look back on the rise and fall of the first iteration of Haas - a team completely unconnected to today's team of the same name that were powered by Krispy Kreme donuts!
Richard also provides his personal recollections of watching Dan Gurney win the first race for an American constructor at Spa in 1967, while Matt has another boatload of anorak facts about everyone from Scirocco to Shadow and Penske to Parnelli.
There's also chat about the previous time Michael Andretti was blocked from competing in Formula 1, the failed USF1 bid of 2010, and Ford's involvement in F1 via Jaguar Racing - so stand by for another Niki Lauda impression!
- Want to listen ad-free? Join The Race Members' Club on Patreon! Head to Patreon.com/therace - we even have an F1-only tier!
- Buy some Colossally merch! Visit The Race Shop
- Follow The Race on Instagram, Twitter and Facebook
- Check out our latest videos on YouTube
- Download our app on iOS or Android
A Race Media Production
Producer: Jonny Reynolds
With special thanks to Tim Silvey for studio support
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Next Episode
France's 'golden generation' of Formula 1 race winners
The latest episode of Colossally has a distinctly French flavour, as Matt and Richard look back on a golden age of French Formula 1 drivers.
Believe it or not, having endured a 13-year winless drought in Formula 1 between 1958 and 1971, France then produced 10 different F1 winners in 11 seasons in the 1970s and early 1980s - a remarkable achievement for the country that gave rise to Grand Prix racing.
Matt and Richard look back on the history of Grand Prix racing in France, before explaining why a school established by British was the driving force behind the French surge.
After that they discuss each of the golden generation in turn; names like Didier Pironi, Patrick Depailler, Jacques Laffite, Rene Arnoux and Alain Prost, before answering that all important question: Which of them did they like the best?
- Want to listen ad-free? Join The Race Members' Club on Patreon! Head to Patreon.com/therace - we even have an F1-only tier!
- Buy some Colossally merch! Visit The Race Shop
- Follow The Race on Instagram, Twitter and Facebook
- Check out our latest videos on YouTube
- Download our app on iOS or Android
A Race Media Production
Producer: Jonny Reynolds
With special thanks to Tim Silvey for studio support
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
If you like this episode you’ll love
Episode Comments
Generate a badge
Get a badge for your website that links back to this episode
<a href="https://goodpods.com/podcasts/and-colossally-thats-history-433068/three-races-that-explain-the-genius-of-gilles-villeneuve-78055880"> <img src="https://storage.googleapis.com/goodpods-images-bucket/badges/generic-badge-1.svg" alt="listen to three races that explain the genius of gilles villeneuve on goodpods" style="width: 225px" /> </a>
Copy