When great drivers die young, they inevitably become trapped in the popular consciousness in a state of eternal youth, embodying romanticised notions of heroic nobility and sacrifice. For motor racing fans, the spectacular and aggressive style of Gilles Villeneuve came to represent the epitome of what a racing driver should be. His death at the age of 32, during qualifying for the 1982 Belgian Grand Prix at Zolder, crystallised the myth of the tragically fallen hero. The background to the accident, with rancour behind the scenes with team-mate Didier Pironi, remains a controversial topic to this day.
The truth of the man behind the legend is rather more nuanced, of course, which accounts for why his son Jacques Villeneuve was so resistant to comparisons when he arrived in Formula 1 in 1996. He has never seen himself as carrying on his father's legacy, but he now says he recognises he absorbed something deeper from Gilles.
A new biopic telling the untold story of his father, Villeneuve: Rise of a Legend, will receive its world premiere at the Toronto International Film Festival on 19 September, ahead of a theatrical release in Quebec in November. Global release is scheduled for next year, 50 years after Gilles made his F1 debut in a McLaren at the 1977 British Grand Prix. It will focus on the years before Gilles became a Ferrari icon, an eventful journey full of personal and professional setbacks. Jacques' sister Melanie is the executive producer.
"Talking about my dad was never an issue," Jacques told Autosport. "The issue was those people [journalists] were not interested in my answer. Or my way of thinking. They could not care less. All they were wanting to hear is, 'I'm carrying on the flame because of what my dad did not finish, and that's why I'm doing it'. No, I'm racing because I love racing. Simple.
"I loved my dad. I'm proud of him – he was amazing, what he achieved. But I'm doing my own thing. I'm not racing because I want to be the continuation of Gilles Villeneuve. That's okay. And they were getting angry. So that's when I said, 'OK, I'm not even wanting to talk about him anymore because it's pointless. There's not a constructive discussion. You don't actually care.'"
This week F1 visits Madrid for the first time since 1981, when the last Spanish Grand Prix to be held at Jarama was the scene of Gilles Villeneuve's final victory, a masterclass of defensive driving in an ill-handling Ferrari. One of Gilles Villeneuve's abiding characteristics was his refusal to give up – as at Zandvoort in 1979, when he tried to drive back to the pits on three wheels.
Jacques had just turned 11 when his father died and spent many of his formative years at a boarding school. His parents' marriage was under strain. Yet, the lessons he carries from his father are not purely about racing technique but about perseverance and passion. "My father taught me that no matter what happens, you keep fighting," Jacques recalled. "He never gave up, and that's what I carry with me to this day."
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