SkySports will broadcast a documentary on the rivalry between Villeneuve and Pironi
F1. It's an unreleased two-hour feature film that will be broadcasted by the English channel on March 19th.
It's an intense rivalry, but very short. In 1982, Didier Pironi and Gilles Villeneuve team up at Scuderia. The two men engage in a fierce battle for victories. While a good atmosphere reigns within the Maranello team, tensions will quickly arise.
In Imola, while a large majority of the grid does not participate in the race due to a strike, the two teammates are battling for victory. But a few laps before the finish, Ferrari instructs its drivers to slow down and maintain their positions. Gilles Villeneuve is in first place, with Didier Pironi in second. The Frenchman does not listen and overtakes the Canadian. The French flag is raised as he wins.
The war is declared, but doesn't last. During the qualifications of the Belgian Grand Prix, Gilles Villeneuve violently crashes into Jochen Mass and takes off. The impact is severe, he is ejected from his Ferrari. The driver passes away shortly after the incident.
His teammate will have to put his racing career on hold a few weeks later, after a violent accident at Hockenheim, which will break his legs.
All the adventures of the two Francophones are told in the documentary directed by SkySports « Villeneuve vs Pironi - Racing's Untold Tragedy », which will be broadcast on March 19th. It lasts two hours.
