Gilles Villeneuve’s F1 debut in a McLaren - Silverstone 1977

Gilles Villeneuve’s F1 debut in a McLaren - Silverstone 1977

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anonymous-user

Original Poster:

53 months

Friday 21st July 2017
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Changed days especially hearing that Hunt asked McLaren to give Gilles a chance.

As stated this would never happen now.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R6GJ0Ggte6M

Eric Mc

121,769 posts

264 months

Friday 21st July 2017
quotequote all
Nice bit of film.

I wonder what he would think of current F1?

EagleMoto4-2

669 posts

103 months

Friday 21st July 2017
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Not many people probably are aware of this, but the chassis they gave him to race that day was the one Hunt used to clinch his Championship at Fuji the previous year. Imagine if he had wrecked that piece of history!

I think Gilles would have hated the overtaking aids, the fuel and tyre saving. He was an all out racer who would go at it hammer and tongs for the whole race if he could.
Having to coast and save the car at some point was just not in his mindset. He would be glad about no ground effect or qualifying tyres though.

Thundersports

656 posts

144 months

Saturday 22nd July 2017
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Yes it was the 76 Hunt car now owned by BE. Villeneuve did try pretty hard to wreck it that weekend at Silverstone! It had one more outing with Jack o'Mally at Monza before having being retired.

coppice

8,561 posts

143 months

Saturday 22nd July 2017
quotequote all
I was there and the general mood music was certainly not 'I have seen the future of Formula 1 and it's got a comedy Canadian accent' . More 'looks quite quick ,spins too much but maybe worth watching ' McLaren agreed as they didn't sign him . Much more significant , and it felt it was the debut of the Renault V6 turbo ; it may have wheezed and popped and banged but change was in the air

anonymous-user

Original Poster:

53 months

Saturday 22nd July 2017
quotequote all
Eric Mc said:
Nice bit of film.

I wonder what he would think of current F1?
I think many ex F1 drivers from the past would hate modern F1.

The pure racing has gone.

thiscocks

3,127 posts

194 months

Monday 31st July 2017
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EagleMoto4-2 said:
Not many people probably are aware of this, but the chassis they gave him to race that day was the one Hunt used to clinch his Championship at Fuji the previous year. Imagine if he had wrecked that piece of history!

I think Gilles would have hated the overtaking aids, the fuel and tyre saving. He was an all out racer who would go at it hammer and tongs for the whole race if he could.
Having to coast and save the car at some point was just not in his mindset. He would be glad about no ground effect or qualifying tyres though.
Bit of a cliché as he would have done lots of fuel saving in his turbo Ferrari. Why does everyone think todays F1 is the only era where you have had to save fuel?

Supersam83

597 posts

144 months

Tuesday 1st August 2017
quotequote all
thiscocks said:
Bit of a cliché as he would have done lots of fuel saving in his turbo Ferrari. Why does everyone think todays F1 is the only era where you have had to save fuel?
Wasn't it fuel saving that caused Pironi to pass him at San Marino 1982...

Vaud

50,285 posts

154 months

Tuesday 1st August 2017
quotequote all
thiscocks said:
Bit of a cliché as he would have done lots of fuel saving in his turbo Ferrari. Why does everyone think todays F1 is the only era where you have had to save fuel?
And tyre saving.

The myth of "it was all flat out in the olden days" is just that, a myth.

Eric Mc

121,769 posts

264 months

Tuesday 1st August 2017
quotequote all
thiscocks said:
Bit of a cliché as he would have done lots of fuel saving in his turbo Ferrari. Why does everyone think todays F1 is the only era where you have had to save fuel?
Were they not allowed refuel during the race up until the 1984 season when refueling was banned? Managing fuel was important with the early turbos but they were allowed refuel..

Gilles hated having to manage his fuel. Indeed, it was because it was something he didn't do that well that he lost races he should really have won.


entropy

5,403 posts

202 months

Thursday 3rd August 2017
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Eric Mc said:
Were they not allowed refuel during the race up until the 1984 season when refueling was banned? Managing fuel was important with the early turbos but they were allowed refuel..

Gilles hated having to manage his fuel. Indeed, it was because it was something he didn't do that well that he lost races he should really have won.
Brabham reintroduced refuelling in 1982 when they introduced the concept of using fuel as ballast and a number of teams followed suit.

If you go by the 1982 San Marino GP team orders/instructions fiasco then even Gilles was on a leash at his short tenure as he happily obeyed instructions to slow his pace down.

Eric Mc

121,769 posts

264 months

Friday 4th August 2017
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I didn't think Brabham's refueling was a ballast issue. I always thought it was it was using lighter fuel loads in order to run on shorter life but very grippy tyres tyres but at a sufficiently higher pace in order to establish a big enough lead so that even stopping for fuel and new super sticky tyres didn't lose that lead.

coppice

8,561 posts

143 months

Friday 4th August 2017
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Absolutely right - I'd never heard the ballast explanation until now. The whole point was lighter car from less fuel and thus more speed .

entropy

5,403 posts

202 months

Friday 4th August 2017
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coppice said:
Absolutely right - I'd never heard the ballast explanation until now. The whole point was lighter car from less fuel and thus more speed .
Erm, is that not the concept of ballast in racing circles?

I can see this turning into a pissing contest *grabs coat*

Eric Mc

121,769 posts

264 months

Friday 4th August 2017
quotequote all
entropy said:
coppice said:
Absolutely right - I'd never heard the ballast explanation until now. The whole point was lighter car from less fuel and thus more speed .
Erm, is that not the concept of ballast in racing circles?

I can see this turning into a pissing contest *grabs coat*
Off you go