Forza Villeneuve!

I cannot allow the twenty-fifth anniversary of the death of Gilles Villeneuve to pass unnoticed but it is, at the same time, both distressing and a pleasure to write about him. I make absolutely no apology for admitting that he was my last “hero” in Formula One racing. Nobody else since can even come close to the charm and charisma of the man who made Grand Prix cars dance to his command. Not only that, but they were Ferraris! I defy anyone to dream up a more magical combination than Villeneuve/Ferrari.

I know there will be those who will come up with Schumacher/Ferrari because he did so much for Maranello during his years there. Some Brits might even come up with the dreary Mansell/Williams combo, but none could turn an average day at the track into a totally memorable experience like Gilles.