The Borneo Post

French ex F1 driver Patrick Tambay dies at 73

PARIS: French ex Formula One driver Patrick Tambay, who won two Grand Prix for Ferrari in the 1980s, has died after a long illness at the age of 73, his family announced on Sunday.

Tambay, who had been suffering from Parkinson’s Disease, had stints with the Theodore, McLaren and Renault teams.

But it was during his time with Ferrari that he notched up his two career wins.

The first came at Hockenheim in 1982, followed up by a win on the iconic Italian constructor’s home turf at Imola the following season.

Tragedy was behind his arrival at Ferrari.

He replaced Gilles Villeneuve after his friend’s fatal accident in the 1982 Belgian Grand Prix – followed by a career-ending accident a few weeks later for Ferrari’s other driver and at the time championship leader Didier Pironi in the practice session for the German Grand Prix.

Tambay dedicated his win at Hockenheim – which was a a perfectly-time morale booster for the team’s fans – to Villeneuve, Pironi and Enzo Ferrari, the latter for placing his confidence in him.

Tambay was godfather to Villeneuve’s son, Jacques, who won the 1997 world title.

The Paris-born Tambay made his F1 debut aged 28 in the 1977 British Grand Prix for the Hong Kong-based Theodore team.

Sport

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2022-12-06T08:00:00.0000000Z

2022-12-06T08:00:00.0000000Z

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