Didier Pironi

Didier Pironi was a French Formula 1 driver who was leading the 1982 World Championship for Ferrari before a horrific practice crash ended his career, denying him what would have been France's first title.

Didier Pironi led the 1982 Formula 1 World Championship going into the German Grand Prix before a violent wet-weather qualifying crash at Hockenheim smashed both his legs and ended his racing career, leaving him to finish runner-up to Keke Rosberg by just five points in what remains one of the sport's most tragic near-misses. A talented swimmer in his youth, he turned to motorsport through the Elf-sponsored young driver programme, winning the 1978 24 Hours of Le Mans for Renault before graduating to Formula One with Tyrrell that same year. Pironi moved to Ligier in 1980, winning the Belgian Grand Prix, before joining Ferrari in 1981 alongside Gilles Villeneuve. Their partnership turned bitter at the controversial 1982 San Marino Grand Prix, where Pironi passed Villeneuve for the win late in the race despite a team instruction to hold position — a result Villeneuve never forgave before his fatal crash two weeks later at the Belgian Grand Prix. Despite the turmoil, Pironi led the 1982 World Championship into the German Grand Prix weekend, only to crash violently in wet qualifying conditions, smashing both his legs so severely that amputation was briefly considered. He never raced in Formula One again, ultimately finishing runner-up in the championship by just five points to Keke Rosberg. Pironi spent years attempting a comeback that never materialised, and turned to offshore powerboat racing, where he died on August 23, 1987, in an accident off the Isle of Wight, just months before the birth of his twin sons.

Bold, ambitious driver with strong technical feedback and race-craft

Remembered as one of the great what-ifs of Formula 1, a driver on the brink of becoming France's first world champion

• 3x Grand Prix winner
• 24 Hours of Le Mans winner (1978)
• Runner-up, 1982 World Championship
• 4x pole position