The tragic tale of the partnership amongst Ferrari group-mates Gilles Villeneuve and Didier Pironi is lastly revealed Watch Villeneuve Pironi: Racing’s Untold Tragedy on Sky Sports F1 and Sky Documentaries at six:30pm on Saturday, or at 7pm on Sunday

six:46, UK, Saturday 18 March 2023

Former globe champion Damon Hill has praised the “sensitive” telling of 1 of Formula 1’s most tragic stories ahead of the release of Villeneuve Pironi: Racing’s Untold Tragedy. 

The documentary, which premieres on Sky Sports F1 and Sky Documentaries straight soon after Saudi Arabian Grand Prix qualifying on Saturday at six:30pm, tells the story of a friendship turned feud amongst Ferrari drivers Gilles Villeneuve and Didier Pironi, which preceded their untimely deaths.

Featuring interviews with the households of each drivers, the documentary is centred about the 1982 San Marino Grand Prix at Imola, for the duration of which a contentious incident saw the sudden breakdown of their partnership.

By way of captivating archive footage, interviews with Jacques Villeneuve (Gilles’ son) and fellow F1 globe champions Alain Prost and Sir Jackie Stewart, the in-depth story of their rise to glory culminating in that infamous and tragic 1982 season is revealed.

“It feels strange speaking about the highlights since it is really a tragic story, and sadly each of these drivers are no longer with us,” Hill told the Sky Sports F1 Podcast.

“Gilles, he was a legendary driver, the commence point was his pizazz and the way he drove and his lack of worry. He was mad rapidly.

“Then he came into a partnership in the group with Pironi, and it is a story of that friendship, the bond they had got badly broken, and eventually may perhaps have been a aspect of the power that went into Gilles’ accident.

“It told the story really properly and really sensitively.”

Sky Sports F1’s Karun Chandhok, who attended a screening of the documentary alongside Hill in London on Tuesday, described it as “a really strong, emotional rollercoaster in several techniques.”

“It really is often a bit strange watching these films when we know how it ends,” Chandhok stated.

“For me at least it was the 1st time I heard all of the loved ones really speaking about the events in such detail. Jacques himself has often been really closed up about speaking about his father, but he spoke really eloquently about it.

Hill, who drove alongside Jacques Villeneuve at Williams in 1996, added: “It was fascinating listening to what Jacques had to say about his father and admitting that in some senses, on some occasions, he was frightened of his dad.

“His dad was a really direct individual, a really sincere individual, and all that was properly commented on and comes out in the story.”

Watch Villeneuve Pironi: Racing’s Untold Tragedy on Sky Sports F1 and Sky Documentaries at six:30pm on Saturday, or at 7pm on Sunday. Get Sky Sports