With 49 F1 races to his credit between 1975 and 1981, the former pilot had won two Grands Prix, in 1979 in France and the following year in Austria.
MO12345lemonde with AFP
The former French car driver Jean-Pierre Jabouille, craftsman of Renault’s first victory in Formula 1, died at the age of 80, announced his family on February 2.
Born in Paris on 1 er October 1942 in a wealthy environment, holder of an engineering diploma, Jean-Pierre Jabouille only has two victories in around fifty races in the record F1, often forced to abandon due to the difficulties encountered in the development of the Turbo engine, a revolutionary technology in F1 at the time. However, his record also includes a title of European Formula 2 champion, won in 1976.
The pilot made a little noticed beginning in F1 in 1974 and competed in his first race in 1975. It is his association with Renault who will allow the one that the press nicknamed “the great blond” to win in the discipline Queen of motorsport, not without starting to attract especially jibes. The French manufacturer is then the only one to prefer the six -cylinder turbocharged engine to the “classic” V8 or V12 engine.
“It’s simple, Jean-Pierre Jabouille, it was Monsieur ou-rien. Besides, his statistics in F1 challenge”, Writes the Autohebdo newspaper About this “” big blond “, managed to make an impression and leave its mark in the history of the discipline”.
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His first success on the Dijon -Prenois circuit -the first in F1 of a turbocharged engine -, Jean -Pierre Jabouille was the craftsman on the track, but also in the workshops. Holder of an engineering diploma, he was an integral part of this project in the laborious beginnings. The engine often broke in scrolls of white smoke, which earned its single nickname “Yellow Tea Pot” (“yellow teapot”).
René Arnoux joined him at Renault in 1979 and July, on the Dijon-Prenois circuit, he went up for the first time, just like Renault, on the highest step of the podium. The irony is that the story will remember the duel more than Arnoux and the Canadian Gilles Villeneuve (Ferrari) for second place than his victory.
“I only thought of finishing the race, he told the agency France-Presse (AFP) in 2018. I knew we had a chance if we arrived at the end. It was a great pride because It’s hard to gain in F1. A relief too because I had often been in the lead and, each time, I had experienced reliability problems. “
“We are what we are today thanks to Jean-Pierre, and his heritage continues,” said Thursday, in a press release, Alpine, which brings together Renault’s races activities.
Consequences that prevent it from coming back
We will then have to wait for the Austrian Grand Prix, more than a year later, to see “Le Grand Blond” win again and, for the last time, in F1, not without having yet abandoned fourteen times Between his two triumphs.
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While turbo technology becomes the standard in F1, Jean-Pierre Jabouille gives way to Renault to Alain Prost, after having broken both legs, at the end of the 1980 season. Then he joined Ligier, the following season, but quickly realized that the consequences of his injuries prevent him from returning to the highest level. He then decides to leave F1.
This will not prevent him from declaring, in another interview with AFP, in 2019: “At present, we go out, we are going to take a look in the grass and we come back. We did Huge progress in terms of material absorption and barriers should be put around the circuits so that the car is a little damaged in the event of a risk -free road exit for the pilot. “
The pilot will then return to his first love, endurance, with Peugeot. Already rich in two third places at the 24 Hours of Le Mans in 1973 and 1974 with Matra, he obtained two others in 1992 and 1993 with the Lion brand. He then took the direction of Peugeot-Sport until 1995, before creating his own endurance stable, Jabouille-Bouresche Racing.