Working with Villeneuve; a poignant reminder of F1’s greatest achievement

Sharing the stage in Toronto last week with former World Champion Jacques Villeneuve, I couldn’t help but think that our Q&A with the audience regarding the step-change in safety within Formula One could not be addressed to a more appropriate figure.

Jacques’ father, the much revered Gilles Villeneuve, lost his life at the Belgian Grand Prix in 1982 and it should really have been that event which triggered the safety race in Formula One. Instead we waited 12 more years and witnessed further fatalities of driver such as Riccardo Paletti, Elio de Angelis, Roland Ratzenberger and Ayrton Senna before the sports governing body under the strong leadership of Max Mosley decided to address the safety culture from the ground up.

Jacques’ himself commented that his era, starting in 1996, really marked the start of ‘safe’ Formula One racing, and he endured not only a highly successful career but one in which serious accidents became fully survivable.

He recalled driving his late father’s Ferrari 312T4 and realising that there was quite literally nothing to protect his upper body or legs in the event of a serious accident, and yet as he drove it he loved the sensation and was soon going quickly. The urge to drive fast remains a constant in the Villeneuve tradition, but fortunately for Jacques the safety-first culture of the sport mirrored the desire for ultimate performance.