Gilles Villeneuve (Joseph Gilles Henri Villeneuve – January 18, 1950 – May 8, 1982) passed away 30 years ago during Belgian Grand Prix qualifying session. Ferrari will be honoring the canadian pilot today, and for that they’ve invited his son, Jacques Villeneuve, to drive the Ferrari 312 T4 that his father used to drive in 1979 when Ferrari was World Champion and Jody Scheckter, Villeneuve’s team mate, took the pilot’s crown.
Gilles Villeneuve is for many people (including some petrolheads like Top Gear’s host Jeremy Clarkson), the most spectacular pilot in history. He had all the guts and feeling any pilot needs, and performed some of the craziest maneuvers one can imagine. Even though he’s never won the world title, he managed to win 6 F1 races and took a few podiums in his career. His son, Jacques, also dedicated his life to auto sports, and managed to be F1 World Champion in 1997.
Check out some of the best moments of the “flying driver”.