Jeff V. Hutchinson was a prominent member of Formula 1 journalists who followed the sport during the romatic era of the 1970s and 1980s. He has his own view of Gilles Villeneuve.
Did Ferrari take a big risk hiring Villeneuve to replace Lauda at the end of 1977?
Not really, he was obviously a quick driver and better he was driving a Ferrari than for the opposition.
What did Enzo Ferrari see in Gilles which convinced him to keep him for 1978?How do you compare Gilles to Reutemann and Scheckter?
Enzo was always drawn to the 100 percent racers, even if they had their faults. Gilles new only one setting - flat out, and that adhered him to Ferrari more than anything else. Reutemann had the opposite temperament to Villeneuve which probably made him the ideal partner for his first season in which to establish himself with Ferrari. In speed there was little to choose between Villeneuve and Scheckter, but Jody knew when to save his car and go for points instead of glory which gave him the title.
How was Gilles seen in the British media? Did you regret that he landed at Ferrari and not at McLaren?
Gilles was loved by the Media as he always provided an exciting story whether he won or not! Had he stayed with McLaren he would not have gelled with the team the way he did with Ferrari whose hot southern passion matched those of Gilles.
How was he on personal level? I’m sure you have a few personal stories about him? Can you tell us what still resonates with you?
I always found him co-operative and pleasant and a man who wore his heart on his sleeve. What you saw was what you got and there were no hidden sides to his character . When in Rio one year he gave me a lift to the circuit from the hotel a few times. Even that was a flat out "race" despite being in a little Fiat and with the added challenge of not using the clutch pedal all the way there! While this was going on he was chatting casually about learning to fly his helicopter. The car survived , just, but in the race his Ferrari didn't. In 1982 he was leading from the off on a soft set of types. After a few laps you could see chunks of rubber coming off the overheating tyres and Piquet was closing fast in the Brabham. Every lap he was getting more and more wild trying to hold his lead until he finally spun off and wrapped the car up in the catch fencing right in front of me. I saw him later at the hotel and asked him why he hadn't stopped for harder tyres. He looked at me almost in surprise at my question and said, "It's better to go out of the race in the lead than stop and finish half way down the field." That was typical Gilles and why Jody beat him to the title.
Did you feel that even when he was alive he was already becoming a kind legendary figure of F1?
He was an Evel Knieval kind of daredevil driver and became an even greater legend after his death, but more for his crazy style of driving than for his achievements like Jimmy Clark or Ayrton Senna.
Imola and Zolder 1982 - how did you remember these particular races?
Imola and Zolder in '82 were two races that will always be remembered sadly. When Pironi disobeyed team orders and passed Gilles just before the finish as the two Ferraris cruised to victory, Gilles was furious at Pironi's betrayal. His face on the podium said it all and when he got back to Monaco he asked his friend Scheckter to go with him to Maranello, talk to Enzo and help him set things straight. By the time he got to Zolder he had a week to brood on the problem and was even more determined to put Pironi in his place on the track. By the time they had used up their new qualifying tyre Pironi was ahead on the grid when Villleneuve failed to be a clear lap. He asked for a mixed set of used tyres and went out for one final do or die lap to beat Pironi's time. The rest is history. Had Imola not happened, perhaps Zolder would not have happened. We shall never know. He had lived by the sword and sadly died by it that day.
In retorspect, where do you see Villeneuve in the history of F1?
Villeneuve will always be remembered amongst that special band of elite drivers who put the excitement into the sport and who paid the ultimate price for doing what he loved.
How was it to work with him as a journalist?
He wasn't a press conference kind of a guy. But get him one on one and talking about his passion and he would light up like a Christmas tree and be fascinating and fun.
