FAWKHAM, ENGLAND - JULY 16: McLaren Formula One Driver Patrick Tambay of France during the British Grand Prix at the Brands Hatch circuit in Fawkham, England on July 16, 1978. (Photo by Bob Thomas/Popperfoto via Getty Images/Getty Images)
Former Ferrari, Renault and McLaren Formula One driver Patrick Tambay passed away at the age of 73 – when did the legend make his debut?
The late Patrick Tambay was one of the most well-recognised drivers in Formula One. During his long career in motorsport, Tambay represented a number of F1 teams – Surtees, Theodore, McLaren, Ligier, Ferrari, Renault and Haas Lola. Tambay had been suffering from Parkinson’s disease for a long time and passed away on December 4 as a result of cardiac arrest.
Patrick Tambay debuted in Formula One on a one-off basis with Surtees, driving in only one session at the 1977 French Grand Prix before spending the rest of the season with Theodore. In 1982, he joined Ferrari after the death of his close friend Gilles Villeneuve. He won his first-ever race at the German Grand Prix with Ferrari in the same year. His only other Grand Prix win, came with Ferrari itself, in 1983 at Imola.
Tambay is most famously remembered for his time with Ferrari in 1982-83. When Tambay’s dear friend Gilles Villeneuve was killed in a horrific crash in qualifying at the 1982 Belgian Grand Prix, Ferrari turned to Tambay as his replacement. Tambay won the German GP that season in a car bearing Villeneuve’s famous number 27 and immediately secured a place in the hearts of the famous Ferrari fans, the tifosi.
Tambay won at Imola the next year, 1983 and confirmed his status as a Ferrari cult hero. The Frenchman had a very close relationship with Villeneuve and was also godfather to Gilles Villeneuve’s son Jacques. He was involved in his racing development in a career in which he won the 1995 IndyCar title and Indianapolis 500, and then the F1 world championship with Williams in 1997.
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