Profile of Didier Pironi on Famous Like Me

Didier Pironi (March 26, 1952 - August 23, 1987) was a Formula One driver from France. Benefiting from the same Elf-sponsored drive to promote young French motorsport talent hat bequeathed the likes of Patrick Tambay and Alain Prost to Formula One, he participated in 72 grands prix, debuting on January 15, 1978.

Two seasons with the underfinanced Tyrrell team demonstrated enough promise for Guy Ligier to sign Pironi to the rather erratic French team in 1980, a season in which Didier recorded his first victory, in the Belgian Grand Prix at Zolder, as well as several podium finishes. Indeed, such were Pirno's performances that as early as the second race of the season, Enzo Ferrari expressed an interest in the Frenchman's services, which he secured for 1981.

Teamed with the fearsome Gilles Villeneuve, Pironi was rather shaded in his first season with Ferrari; for someone so preoccupied with becoming the first French driver to win the Formula One title, the events of this year may have played a role in the turbulent and unhappy 1982 campaign. Establishing a fine rapport with the senior members of the team, Pironi arguably exploited this good relationship in the aftermath of the notorious San Marino race where he is widely thought to have duped Villeneuve into conceding victory by giving the impression that he would follow his Canadian team-mate through the final lap, only to unexpectedly power past Gilles into the Tosa hairpin. Pironi's friendship with senior members in the team resulted in his dubious story of "engine problems" for both cars gaining widespread currency, much to Villeneuve's chagrin. The Canadian would be killed in qualifying at the following race, and his furious state of mind is often considered a contributory cause to his accident.

With a fast, reliable car, the title looked to be Pironi's for the taking, but the Frenchman's own state of mind underwent severe stress with the antipathy directed toward him in the wake of the Zolder tragedy, the breakdown of his marriage and observing first hand the death of Riccardo Paletti in the Canadian Grand Prix, the young Italian ploughing into Pironi's stalled Ferrari on the starting grid. Some of these events may have resulted in the over-confidence and arrogance that team members are reported to have observed in Pironi's behaviour at subsequent events (including an absolute certainty that he would win the title), and in such a mindset he unnecessarily lapped a drenched Hockenheim in a meaningless practice session at the German Grand Prix at high speed. Passing Derek Daly's Williams, Pironi, unsighted, smashed into the back of Prost's Renault, triggering a horribly violent accident with ghastly echoes of that suffered by Villeneuve. Pironi survived, but injuries to his legs meant he never raced again, and he was killed in a powerboat accident five years later. Despite the accident, he still finished runner-up in the 1982 championship, a reminder of what might have been.

Didier Pironi won 3 races, achieved 13 podiums, and scored a total of 101 championship points. He also secured 4 pole positions.

Complete Formula One results

(Note: grands prix in bold denote race victories or poles.)

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