Top ten F1 drivers: Gilles Villeneuve.

Today we campaign the final two drivers in the latest Crash.net poll to find the greatest F1 driver of all time.

First up, the only driver of the ten selected to never win the World Title, Gilles Villeneuve...

Gilles Villeneuve is one of the most talented drivers never to have won the F1 title.

After a single race with McLaren in 1977, Villeneuve signed for Ferrari, but the start of 1978 proved a struggle. However, by the end of the season, Villeneuve was on top of the podium, celebrating his first win in front of his home fans in Canada.

He carried that form into the first four races of 1979, with two wins, but then failed to score until the French Grand Prix - a race that will go down in Formula One history.

Although Jean-Pierre Jabouille won the race for Renault, the battle between Villeneuve and the second Renault of Rene Arnoux went right to the flag, the pair banging wheels on more than one occasion before Villeneuve crossed the line just 0.24secs.

At the end of the year, Villeneuve finished just four points behind team-mate Jody Scheckter, and appeared favourite for the following year. He struggled with a number of non-finishes in 1980, however, and it wasn't until 1981 that Villeneuve tasted victory again, with wins in Monaco and Spain taking him to in seventh place in the standings.

After two retirements and a disqualification in the opening three races of 1982, Villeneuve looked to be heading for victory in the San Marino Grand Prix, ahead of team-mate Didier Pironi, when the order was given to slow. Villeneuve did as instructed, but Pironi passed him to take the win on the final lap. An incensed Villeneuve swore never to speak to his team-mate again - and never had the chance. A fortnight later, he was killed after colliding with Jochen Mass during qualifying at Zolder.

His death rocked the sport, but his memory lives on, with the Canadian Grand Prix now held every year on the circuit that bears his name.

Fact File:
68 races
6 victories

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