Villeneuve Pironi

Torquil Jones and his archive research team are to be commended for sourcing some pretty amazing library footage as Gilles Villeneuve joined and dominated the Ferrari F1 team until the arrival of Frenchman Didier Pironi and then the wheels, quite literally, all came off. This is a story of a tragic rivalry that I suspect few will recall. It is a personal affair. Contributions from those close to both drivers - intimately and professionally - help us to realise just how cut-throat the business of Formula One was. I couldn't help feeling that I was being manoeuvred, though. Watch for yourself, but I definitely felt that the editorial was steering me more to one camp than the other - and I didn't particularly like that. What is clear, though, is that both men were extremely focussed, adrenalin junkies who took risk as little more than an occupational hazard, and that is well illustrated in this quickly paced documentary that immerses us in the competitiveness and dangers of a sport largely devoid of even the most basic of (modern) safety precautions. If you are at all interested in the history of the engineering, the politics and the personalities of this sport, then this is certainly worth a watch - and on a big screen if you can.

I have to admit I came to be an F1 fan after this happened. Gilles son Jacques was my first F1 passion so by default I have always been interested in the story behind Jacques. This documentary is captivating, heartfelt & gives both sides of the sad story of both men's sadly too short lives. There are interviews with Gilles' widow & his children, members of the Ferrari team at the time including a fabulous British lady who was the only woman & only British person in the Ferrari team. Also interviews with Didier's wife, his girlfriend and his twin sons who were born after his death. There are snippets from drivers from the period including Alain Prost. It really is a fascinating insight into the relationship of these two great drivers. It's an emotional rollercoaster though and brings home to you how dangerous the sport I love was and still is.

This documentary is good in terms of the archive footage and interviews with personnel and family involved with both drivers, especially Ferrari, but I would encourage viewers to check out the Wikipedia entries for both drivers which cover a wider band of their careers and put things in a broader context. They also question some of the assertations and impressions made in the documentary, eg Hockenheim was both dry and wet and the doctors did not suggest that Pironi's leg would be amputated. There is also a claim that Pironi did not go back into F1, after successful testing with AGS and Ligier, partly due to the effects of his injuries but also because the insurance payout after his Hockenheim accident was conditional on his not racing in F1 otherwise he would have to repay a substantial sum. I think the documentary could have provided more technical detail and put things in a broader context than its dramatic narrative.

This documentary is good in terms of the archive footage and interviews with personnel and family involved with both drivers, especially Ferrari, but I would encourage viewers to check out the Wikipedia entries for both drivers which cover a wider band of their careers and put things in a broader context. They also question some of the assertations and impressions made in the documentary, eg Hockenheim was both dry and wet and the doctors did not suggest that Pironi's leg would be amputated. There is also a claim that Pironi did not go back into F1, after successful testing with AGS and Ligier, partly due to the effects of his injuries but also because the insurance payout after his Hockenheim accident was conditional on his not racing in F1 otherwise he would have to repay a substantial sum. I think the documentary could have provided more technical detail and put things in a broader context than its dramatic narrative.

Torquil Jones and his archive research team are to be commended for sourcing some pretty amazing library footage as Gilles Villeneuve joined and dominated the Ferrari F1 team until the arrival of Frenchman Didier Pironi and then the wheels, quite literally, all came off. This is a story of a tragic rivalry that I suspect few will recall. It is a personal affair. Contributions from those close to both drivers - intimately and professionally - help us to realise just how cut-throat the business of Formula One was. I couldn't help feeling that I was being manoeuvred, though. Watch for yourself, but I definitely felt that the editorial was steering me more to one camp than the other - and I didn't particularly like that. What is clear, though, is that both men were extremely focussed, adrenalin junkies who took risk as little more than an occupational hazard, and that is well illustrated in this quickly paced documentary that immerses us in the competitiveness and dangers of a sport largely devoid of even the most basic of (modern) safety precautions. If you are at all interested in the history of the engineering, the politics and the personalities of this sport, then this is certainly worth a watch - and on a big screen if you can.

I have to admit I came to be an F1 fan after this happened. Gilles son Jacques was my first F1 passion so by default I have always been interested in the story behind Jacques. This documentary is captivating, heartfelt & gives both sides of the sad story of both men's sadly too short lives. There are interviews with Gilles' widow & his children, members of the Ferrari team at the time including a fabulous British lady who was the only woman & only British person in the Ferrari team. Also interviews with Didier's wife, his girlfriend and his twin sons who were born after his death. There are snippets from drivers from the period including Alain Prost. It really is a fascinating insight into the relationship of these two great drivers. It's an emotional rollercoaster though and brings home to you how dangerous the sport I love was and still is.