Patrick Tambay has passed away
A French motorsport legend passed away on Sunday, December 4, 2022. Patrick Tambay passed away at the age of 73. He was one of the most popular Formula 1 drivers of the 1980s. He scored two Grand Prix victories with Ferrari.
Formula 1 experienced significant development in the 1980s with the arrival of major sponsors and television coverage. There were many French drivers in the sport (Prost, Depailler, Laffite, Tambay,…) and they were fighting at the front of the pack.
A long career in Formula 1.
He was born in Paris on June 25, 1949. From a young age, he loved the sensation of speed and competed in skiing at a very high level. He discovered motorsport in the 70s and quickly showed his skill behind the wheel of a race car. He quickly climbed the ranks in the feeder series and made it to Formula 1 in 1977, only 7 years after his debut in motorsport. He drove for Ensign, which was at the back of the grid. He went through a tough period with McLaren and Ligier before returning to the front with Ferrari in 1982.
Indeed, in unfortunate circumstances, he replaces his friend Gilles Villeneuve within the Scuderia Ferrari after the fatal accident suffered by the latter in Zolder earlier in the season. Behind the wheel of an Italian single-seater with great potential, he secures his first podium finishes. He even wins two Grand Prix races with the Maranello team in Hockenheim and Imola. However, the end of his career is more anecdotal with a few podiums at Renault and a difficult season with the Haas team.
He will have competed in 114 Grand Prix races and participated in 9 Formula 1 World Championships. He passed away this Sunday, December 4th, 2022 from complications of Parkinson’s disease, which he had been suffering from for years.
