In which case, the only possible verdict is that Gilles Villenueve was very good, but not a great.....with maybe an asterisks to indicate that his was a tragically unfulfilled potential.Quote:
Originally Posted by ArrowsFA1
In which case, the only possible verdict is that Gilles Villenueve was very good, but not a great.....with maybe an asterisks to indicate that his was a tragically unfulfilled potential.Quote:
Originally Posted by ArrowsFA1
Good points in your post, and I agree with this point :up: Just like Prost compared to Senna etc.Quote:
Originally Posted by jens
FACTS
I've finally checked the record of GV and his team mates at This site
As Garry Walker has said, this shows that in 1978, his first full season, his record was not as good as Reutemann but remember it was his first season. Then in 1979 there is barely a whisker between him and his team leader, Jody Scheckter, with only seven points separating them at season's end and GV ahead or equal on all indicators. In 1980 he eclipsed Scheckter and in 1981 Pironi.
Another fact - he won a GP in his first full season. Who else has done that?Hamilton, Schumacher, Stewart, Fittipaldi and Baghetti. Any more?
I accept that his early death leads to a certain amount of rose-tinted viewing, as it does in the case of Senna, Peter Collins, Jean Behra and, to an extent, Jim Clark but nevertheless he deserves to be ranked among the greats near the top of the pyramid. Maybe not in the top three but certainly in the next five or ten.
I think that some here are under-rating him.
I'll finish with a quote from Steve Small's book:
Yes I am a Gilles Villeneuve fan.Quote:
"To this day opinions are sharly divided about Gilles Villeneuve. To many he was simply what motor racing was all about. To the more dispassionate he was an accident waiting nto happen, and when the end came, well they were proved right weren't they?
In soccer, if the ball goes to Pele or Best, or nor Giggs, there is a collective sense of anticipation, a feeling that something special could be about to happen. . . It was like that with Gilles. As anordinary punter denied access to the inner sanctum of pit or paddock, you could stand on any corner, at any circuit and wait for his Ferrari to scream into view. Then came the reward. With a glint of wildness in his eyes, and the car at some wicked angle - more often than not at its very limit and then some - Villeneuve would pass and you could sense the thrill."
OK my 3 greatest:
1. Michael Schumacher: Even though his antics were sometimes intolerable, he remains the greatest driver ever in terms of statistics and racecraft. I wish he was still racing as a battle between him, Lewis, Kimi and Fernando would probably be one for the ages.
2. Mika Hakkinen: Always had the balls to take the fight to whoever was challenging him. A gentleman, a proper racer, and two titles isn't bad, eh?
3: Kimi Raikkonen: Current World Champion and a surprising choice for me considering i'm not his biggest fan. However, I cannot ignore the fact that he is freakishly good, and relatively mistake-free compared with most of the other drivers. Deserves all the success he gets.
Almost made it: Lewis Hamilton, Jenson Button, Fernando Alonso.
I'll finish with a quote from Steve Small's book:
Originally Posted by http://www.motorsportforums.com/foru...s/viewpost.gif
"To this day opinions are sharly divided about Gilles Villeneuve. To many he was simply what motor racing was all about. To the more dispassionate he was an accident waiting nto happen, and when the end came, well they were proved right weren't they?
In soccer, if the ball goes to Pele or Best, or nor Giggs, there is a collective sense of anticipation, a feeling that something special could be about to happen. . . It was like that with Gilles. As anordinary punter denied access to the inner sanctum of pit or paddock, you could stand on any corner, at any circuit and wait for his Ferrari to scream into view. Then came the reward. With a glint of wildness in his eyes, and the car at some wicked angle - more often than not at its very limit and then some - Villeneuve would pass and you could sense the thrill."
Yes I am a Gilles Villeneuve fan.
from D-type
OH yea!!!
unfortunately in these days of electronics and drivers who are sponsored into drives because of marketing PR or connections, those days are mostly gone...a few flickers of light are left, in Kimi perhaps......
the above was the quoteQuote:
Originally Posted by D-Type
LMAO. Gilles was beaten on raw speed by more than one teammate. One of the most overrated drivers of all time.
Motorsport magazine rated GV second greatest driver all time (to Nuvolari) in Nov. 1999. D Jenkinson, Nigel Roebuck and most of his driving contempories considered him something special.Consider The US Grand Prix, Watkins Glen 1979. In practice on a wet, treacherous track GV set the fastest time by 11 seconds over the next man, teammate Jody Scheckter. Next day GV qualified 3rd on the grid, 13 places ahead of Scheckter. He also won the race over Jones and Arnoux.In 1981 at Monaco he qualified 2nd on the grid 15 spots ahead of Pironi and also took the victory.I do not believe that GV was ever consistently outpaced by a teammate.
well some facts to consider - as a racer and a man Pironi wouldn't make a hair on Gilles's ass!! Carlos was a man and a racer plus a very good countryman for Argentina. I would respect what Carlos has to say. Plus the "Old Man" knew the real cut of a man!!! So take you facts but I was at Long Beach to witness Gilles and Carlos and if you weren't there you just don't get it!! And we who have been there really can't help you!!
Crazy. Opinions are biased, especially about drivers who attract emotional support, just as GV did for sure.Quote:
Originally Posted by ArrowsFA1
In the end, stats are what matter. There is no denying or going around that Reutemann and Schekter beat Gilles and losing to 2 teammates in row surely wouldnt cement anyones reputation as the worlds fastest driver. If there was proof Ferrari was screwing Gilles, then things could be reconsidered, but I have never heard of anything pointing to that.
In any case, if you take opinions and stats together (where stats are far more important, because they are more unbiased), they fully support my view that rating Gilles amongst top 3 of all drivers is bordering on the line between lunacy and idiocy.