Gilles Villeneuve

Gilles Villeneuve was a Canadian racing driver who competed in Formula One from 1977 to 1982, driving for McLaren and then Ferrari. He began in snowmobile racing in his native Quebec, moved into open-wheel racing, won the Formula Ford regional title in 1973 and took Canadian Formula Atlantic championships in 1976 and 1977 along with the American title in 1976. Enzo Ferrari signed him after his McLaren debut at the 1977 British Grand Prix. He finished runner-up in the 1979 World Drivers Championship behind his teammate Jody Scheckter, and won six Grands Prix, including his home race in Canada in 1978 and back-to-back wins at Monaco and Spain in 1981. He died after a collision during qualifying for the 1982 Belgian Grand Prix at Zolder. The Montreal circuit that hosts the Canadian Grand Prix carries his name, and his son Jacques became the first Canadian World Drivers Champion in 1997.